#self-preservation instinct

[lumpyorganelle]

Enneagram Self-preservation (SP) Instinct

Keys words: Survival, comfort, stability, home, independence, practical foundation, resources, hoarding, well-being, domesticity, structure, sustainability, shelter, work, finances, safety, environment, self-care, balance

Summary of SP instinct:

The first instinct to have evolved. This is an orientation towards survival, health, and comfort. SP drive checks in with the body: “Is this not enough or too much?” and orients by what the body reports on its needs. Of the three instincts, this is the oldest one; it dictates: “I must survive.”

primary concerns:

physical safety, comfort, and well-being; securing an orderly and aesthetically pleasing way of life (food, clothing, money, housing, and physical health)

primary focus:

security, comfort, and well-being of the environment (lighting, temperature, comfortable furniture, aesthetics, food quality)

primary ambition:

using practicality and financial sense to create a secure environment in the home and workplace (paying bills, acquiring skills to ensure the orderly flow of life)

primary stresses:

money, sustenance (how they will get food, when it will come, if they will like it, if it fits their diet), scarcity of resources

coping methods (unhealthy/distorted):

over-stocking, overbuying, overeating, under-eating, over-purging, oversleeping, under-sleeping, overindulging in aesthetics or comfort foods, not exercising or over-exercising, constant concern about lack of resources and survival, lethargy and fear of stepping out of comfort zones, never feeling secure or struggling to relax

Topics SP types might bring up in conversation:

food, dining out, dieting, nutrition, health, fitness, appearance and looks, money, savings and sales, shopping, quality or durability of objects, clothing, design, home decoration, employment, benefits, insurance, comfort, strength, vitality, sickness, death, discomfort, noise, safety, security, environment, resource management, physical sciences, engineering, architecture.

Example thoughts SP subtypes might have:

Physical Well-Being: 

Is this food healthy? Why do I feel so tired today? When can I get back to the gym so I can feel more energetic? Could I climb to the top of this mountain? Could I survive in the forest for one month?

Self-Regulation and Skills: 

Can I take this apart/fix it? How does this work? What work needs to be done to get what I want? How can I autonomously create my own life? Did we do the laundry? Are my affairs in order? Will I be able to settle in a new place? How do I make this more convenient?

Foundations and Resources: 

Is owning property better than renting? How much money do I have this month? Where’s the closest grocery store? Why am I stuck here when I really want to travel and see the rest of the world? Why isn’t there enough nature in this city? Do I have any savings?

References:

https://thepracticalenneagram.com/instincts/self-preservation-instinct/

https://re-fi-ne-ment.tumblr.com/post/161035338043/instinctual-variants-and-cruelty

https://www.reddit.com/r/Enneagram/comments/14bw32k/are_enneagrammers_instinct_example_thoughts/

[barbiediamondcastleofficial]

guys Sasha is not the responsible one in the archives. She saw a weird guy with fucked up hands and an uncanny laugh and immediately followed him to several secondary locations. I’m SO sorry to say this but the only og archives crew member with self-preservation instincts is Tim

[inkpotsprite]

I've never seen someone so happy to have a flaming sword in their chest. Never change, Tim.

[spiralling-spires]

Being jurgen leitner the day that gerry almost killed him was probably really surreal. Imagine you’re minding your business, collecting fucked up books, and out of nowhere this goth guy covered in eye tattoos shows up and beats you half to death, then stops, goes, “no you’re too pathetic to be jurgen leitner” and leaves without further elaboration. And you dont correct him, you like being alive after all, and after that you just… continue with your life. And then several years later you tell this to some random guy in the tunnels you’ve been hiding in, and he not only knows who the goth was, but seems somewhat fond of the goth. And then you get brutal pipe murdered by the random guy’s boss. Oops

[zoomclown]

thinking about Jonathan Sims and Samama Khalid.

Thinking about how, by all laws of Horror Story Trope, Jon should not be the protagonist. If I'd never heard of tma and you showed me a lineup of the archives crew and asked me to guess who died first I would have pointed to Jon. He's the paranoid professor archetype. The one who dies discovering some crucial bit of information at the beginning to push the plot forward. He's unfriendly, cowardly, insecure, and makes other people do his investigation for him for all of season 1. He doesn't do anything even remotely heroic until the second half of the show. He has no interest in romance for the first half of the show. The audience wasn't even aware Jon had a dark past until he starts telling us about A Guest for Mr. Spider. But he is *Chosen.* Despite the fact that he has no actual qualities of a hero, he's chosen as the eyes special boy. Over the course of the show he starts to become more and more like an actual protagonist. He starts trying to save the world, resist the eye, all that jazz. For one reason or another, being the Archivist turns Jonathan "definition of a side character" Sims into the main character.

Then we have Sam. Sam starts acting like a horror/mystery protagonist almost immediately. He is young, charming, has a mysterious past (that we are made aware of pretty much right away) and a curiosity that causes him to frequently put himself personally in the path of The Horrors. He pokes around where he doesn't belong and looks for clues. He's the center of an office love triangle for goodness sake. He has a strong sense of duty to others and will put himself in harms way to protect those he loves. He exudes main character energy. He has everything a horror protagonist needs to push the plot along. But Sam wasn't *Chosen.* Despite being exactly the person you'd expect the plot to follow. And I can't help but wonder if, in the same way that the narrative made Jon important, it's going to make Sam unimportant. Irrelevant. If, with his rejection from The Magnus Institute, Sam is going to disappear completely. Become a mystery.

Because at the end of the day, so much of your life, your impact on the world, your relevance, has absolutely nothing to do with you. So much of it has everything to do with those in power, and whether they decide you're important.

It all comes down to your own rotten luck.

[thisiswhereikeepdcthings]

I think Duke Thomas should get to give off eldritch horror vibes to all JL-associated magic users. As a treat.

[the-goddess-of-gays]

Jason: Truth or dare? Leo: Truth. Jason: How many hours have you slept this week? Leo: Leo: Dare. Jason: Go to sleep. Leo: Leo: Leo: Never have I ever- Jason: tHaT's NoT tHe GaMe

[moodysnowflake]

Right back at ya, Meryl.

She roped him to capture.

He roped her to save.

- and being like "Meryl, I love you and your chaotic gremling energy, but NO."

[tumblingxelian]

Enid: Celebratory glitter!! (Throws some glitter) Stranger: Wow, must be hard to keep that wild girlfriend of yours out of trouble. Wednesday: (Stares) Enid has on numerous occasions had to place me in "Air Jail" in order to stop me from flinging myself into the maws of monsters and murderous men armed with nothing but a tooth pick and an overwhelming conviction that I can never die.

[blorboazula]

I only fully accept Azula as the short one when it's the "normal sized person x so tiny you're concerned that they weren't fed enough as a child" kind of height difference.

[reegis]

Galahad is hands down the best character in any of the mechanisms albums because Brian went “hey king i think you should go sit in that chair that makes people scream until they die ♥️” & with absolutely ZERO hesitation Galahad is just like “fucking fiNALLY. SOMEBODY WHO GETS IT! ill go right now, dont bother clarifying, see ya 🕺🏻✨”

[haunted-xander]

Minazuki, who was just born, learns his first emotion: murderous intent!

[thebrainrotsreal]

Thinking about de-aged Bruce via magical shenanigans being a bit of a menace. He will bite you if given the chance, and will draw blood. Slippery as an eel to catch. Don't even think you can corner him in his own home, he knows every single secret room and deep tunnel in the manor. Your eyes are scratch-able to him. Try telling he's the future and he's demanding you tell him who killed his parents. Can't tell him? Alright then, you're lying. He would've found out by now if this really the future.

[usoppssketchbook]

Usopp and Alphonse would get along very well

[mrparable]

guy who acts so resigned to his fate but cannot physically stop himself from desperately grasping onto every opportunity, searching for any possibility of escape, who will claw and bite and punch just for the slimmest chance of survival. guy willing to sell out anyone if it protects himself (and who will never stop carrying that guilt. and who will never stop making that choice)

[cybersteal]

𝒫𝓇𝑒𝑒𝓂 𝒱𝒾𝑒𝓌 🌇