Understanding Enneagram Instincts and Subtypes
- Enneagram Training UK & Ireland
- Sep 17
- 5 min read
Your Enneagram type describes your inner reality - your motivation, character structure, and habitual patterns of thought, feeling, and behaviour. But it doesn’t always explain why people of the same type often seem so different.That’s where subtypes come in.
Understanding Enneagram instincts and subtypes is key to making sense of why people of the same type can look so different. In the Narrative Tradition, we explore these instinctual patterns not as abstract theory but through story, dialogue, and lived experience. By recognising whether self-preservation, one-to-one, or social instincts dominate, you can see how your Enneagram type is expressed in daily life, relationships, and personal growth. This awareness brings greater clarity, balance, and compassion - both personally and professionally.
Why Subtypes Matter
Subtypes show us how our instinctual drives – the deep biological patterns we all share – shape both our inner experience and our outer behaviour. They reveal how we focus our attention, where our emotional and instinctual energy flows, and even the paths our lives tend to take.
In other words, your subtype is the way your Enneagram type gets expressed in the world. It colours your relationships, your priorities, and your sense of what matters most.
Understanding the Enneagram as we delve into the nine types.
What Are the Instincts?
At a biological level, the survival of the human species depends on three instinctual drives:
Self-preservation – ensuring food, shelter, comfort, and practical security.
One-to-One (sometimes called Sexual) – focused on attraction, intimacy, and passing on life force through deep bonds.
Social – creating belonging, forming groups, and contributing to the wider whole.
These instincts are not optional. They’re part of being human, and we each use all three every day. But usually one instinct dominates, shaping our priorities and our way of being. Another may be secondary, while a third often gets neglected.
The stronger our unconscious focus on one instinct, the more it flavours our type. This creates three subtypes within each of the nine Enneagram types.
This is why a One-to-One Six might look assertive and bold, sometimes being mistaken for an Eight – yet underneath, their drive is still shaped by fear. Subtypes help us distinguish between “look-alike” types and they bring a more nuanced understanding of the Enneagram.
The Three Instincts in Depth
Self-Preservation
Concerned with basic survival: food, warmth, safety, and home. Rooted in the bond with the mother and with nature itself. At its core is the question: “Do I have the right to exist?”
When imbalanced, this instinct can bring a deep insecurity about not having the right to be.
One-to-One (Sexual)
Focused on intensity, attraction, intimacy, and vitality. Rooted in the flow of life force in the body and the longing to be loved as we are. At its core is the question: “Do I have the right to be loved?” Imbalance can leave us feeling undeserving of love.
Social
Concerned with belonging, connection, and contribution to groups and communities. Rooted in the bond beyond parents into family, peers, and society. At its core is the question: “Do I have the right to belong?” Imbalance in this instinct can leave us feeling excluded or disconnected.
Think of the instincts as the three legs of a stool. When one leg is much longer or shorter than the others, the stool becomes unstable. The same is true of us: when one instinct dominates, it creates imbalance in our lives, costing us energy and limiting our freedom.
How Subtypes Work
Every Enneagram type has three possible subtypes: self-preservation, one-to-one, and social.
Subtypes are the unconscious way we channel the passion of our type into the world. They shape not just how we feel inside, but how we act and relate to others.
For example:
A Self-preservation Two may express pride by taking practical care of others and being in a privileged position.
A One-to-One Two may pride though being seductive and intense in close relationship with others.
A Social Two may express pride though social ambition, making connections with important people.
Each is recognisably Type Two – but the instinct colours their focus and behaviour.
How the Narrative Tradition Explores Instincts and Subtypes
In the Narrative Tradition, instincts and subtypes are not abstract concepts. They are explored through story, dialogue, and lived experience.
Hearing people of the same type but different subtypes share their experiences is one of the most eye-opening parts of our training. For example, a panel of Fours may include a Social Four speaking about creativity and belonging, a Self-preservation Four describing struggles with security and self-care, and a One-to-One Four sharing the intensity of relationships.
These conversations show just how powerfully instincts shape daily life – and why understanding them brings greater compassion, clarity, and freedom.
You can read more about this approach in our blog: The Narrative Tradition: Why Our Approach Matters.
Why Instincts Matter for Personal Growth
Helen Palmer often taught that when all our energy is tied up in our dominant instinct, little is left for spiritual or personal growth.
Becoming aware of our instinctual patterns helps us:
See how we “overdo” in one area of life.
Notice the cost of neglecting other instincts.
Make conscious choices about how we use our energy.
In practice, this might look like a Self-preservation dominant person learning to open more to relationships, or a Social dominant person paying attention to their personal wellbeing. Balance brings stability, resilience, and freedom.
And the benefits are not just personal. In organisations and teams, having all three subtypes represented creates healthier group dynamics, with each instinct offering vital qualities.
What You’ll Learn in Our Instincts and Subtypes Course
As part of our Foundation Programme, our three-day Instincts and Subtypes course offers both teaching and lived experience. You will:
Discover your dominant instinct and reflect on what it gives you and what it costs.
Explore your subtype patterns and how they play out in relationships.
Practise engaging your less-developed instincts for greater balance.
Grow in empathy as you listen to others describe their own instinctual experience.
Participants often describe this module as one of the most practical parts of the Enneagram – because once you see your instinct at work, you start noticing it everywhere.
Why This Belongs in the Foundation Programme
The Foundation Programme is our core training pathway.
It includes:
The Intensive Growth Journey (5 days) – a full introduction to all nine Enneagram types.
Instincts & Subtypes (3 days) – exploring how instincts shape daily life.
Deepening Spiritual Awareness (3 days) – cultivating presence and spiritual practice.
Together, these 11 days create a grounded introduction to the Enneagram in the Narrative Tradition. Join us to explore how instincts shape your daily life – and how, through story and presence, you can move toward greater balance, clarity, and compassion.
For those considering further training, the Foundation Programme is also the required starting point for our Professional Training Pathway. You can also see how instincts apply in professional life in our blog: The Enneagram for Professionals.
And for those on a personal journey, it provides practical insights that ripple through relationships, work, and inner life.
About Enneagram Training UK & Ireland
At Enneagram Training UK & Ireland, we offer clear, compassionate and practical Enneagram-based training to support your growth - personally, professionally and spiritually. Whether you're new to the Enneagram or seeking to deepen your understanding, our Narrative-based approach helps you develop greater self-awareness, emotional resilience and authentic connection with others. Learn more here.
Comments