We all have a Type and Wing by which we can be recognized as our personality, but there’s still a crucial missing piece to the personality puzzle: The Instincts (sometimes referred to as Instinctual Variants). Our Instincts powerfully characterize the way we show up.

The Instinctual Stack 

Our personalities are made up of a very specific hierarchy of the three instinctual urges. For each of us, that looks different depending on our inherent prioritization of these Instincts. Just like with Type and Wing, there is an unconscious instinctual wiring that shapes our personality from our earliest days.

One Instinct is Dominant and demands our fullest attention, while another is of secondary importance, followed by a tertiary. Driven by our habitual impulses, we over-exercise our Dominant Instinct and neglect the Tertiary Instinct (causing it to be our Blind Spot).

Just as with the three Centers – Body, Heart, and Head – we possess all three Instincts, but lean more heavily on one, and become our best when we learn to harmonize them by being present to each, rather than operating on autopilot. And just as with the Types, no Instinct is better or worse than another. They each have their purpose, their strengths, and their drawbacks.

The three Instincts are Self-Preservation, Sexual, and Social. Self-Preservation is about conserving energy, Sexual about releasing energy, and Social about receiving energy from others.

With knowledge and self-awareness, we can understand ourselves so much more clearly if we concretely see the pull of these Instincts, and instead of letting them drag us around by their selfish fixations, humbly and intentionally direct them toward the aims of our best self. With consciousness, it is possible for us to channel our Dominant Instinct in a way that actually serves others and our own fulfillment. Likewise, we can become so attuned that we begin to harness the Secondary and Tertiary in the same way, bringing them into greater balance. 

Descriptions of The Three Instincts

The Self-Preservation Instinct The urge to conserve my energy by keeping track of how much I expend, trying to be as organized, practical, comfortable, and self-sufficient as I can be, making me the most introverted of my Type (including the extroverts)

The Sexual Instinct The urge to unleash my energy by seeking out people and experiences that are as intense and thrilling as can be, pushing my boundaries and showcasing my charisma, making me the boldest of my Type (including the introverts)

The Social Instinct The urge to receive the energy of others by understanding people’s needs, collaborating, and finding my place of status, making me the warmest of my Type (including the very shy and the very driven), however, people may not see the struggles beneath my warmth