The Three Instinctual Biases
What are the Instinctual Biases?
The Instinctual Biases as a System of Values and Priorities
The three Instinctual Biases (what some refer to as the “Enneagram instinctual variants”) are focuses of attention or systems of value that help satisfy fundamental psychobiological impulses. They are responses to complex environmental factors that occur without involving reason. They are instinctual in the sense that they are patterns of feelings, thoughts, behaviors, and tendencies born of deep, motivational forces; they are not conscious. There are many instinctual behaviors that cluster into three general groups or domains. Each of these domains comprises a variety of specific drives that increase the chances of survival, replication, or both.
How Do the Instinctual Biases Impact Us?
The Role of Instinctual Biases in Shaping Our Behaviors
The instinctual biases have a profound impact on our work and personal lives. They influence what What interests us, what we deem important, and, accordingly, what we spend our time on. They affect the skills we develop and those we neglect. They even shape our interpersonal relationships, determining who we get along with and who we might face conflicts with.
Each of us is influenced by impulses from all three instinctual domains, but we display varying degrees of emphasis. We possess a non-conscious and habitual “bias” toward one domain over the others. This dominant bias shapes what we prioritize and value most.
(The ATA Approach is very action-oriented, focused on what people do rather than what they “are,” which is why we use the term “instinctual bias” rather than the common “instinctual variant.”)
Where Are Instinctual Biases Found in Our Lives?
The Connection Between the Enneagram Instinctual Biases and Evolutionary Adaptations
The instinctual biases are deeply ingrained tendencies to find certain aspects of life more important than others and to focus our attention accordingly. In short, they are at the heart of our systems of values—the fundamental biological needs that matter most to us. (We are not suggesting they are ethical values; they are “values” in the sense that we place value on them and prioritize them as fundamentally important.)
Human evolutionary adaptations–the behavioral tendencies we have inherited from our ancestors) tend to fall into three broad categories:
- Preserving, which relates to “nesting and nurturing”;
- Navigating, which focuses on “orienting to the group”;
- Transmitting, which centers on “attracting and bonding.”
These adaptations are ways that nature equipped our ancestors to increase their chances of survival and reproduction. In us, they are sometimes beneficial, but other times they can work against us.
Pattern of Expression of the Instinctual Biases
How We Prioritize the Instinctual Domains
We all are affected by adaptations from all three domains—no one is only Preserving, only Navigating, or only Transmitting. Each of us expresses the adaptations of each domain to varying degrees, although one gets highest priority. We have found, in working with clients individually, in teams, or at an enterprise level, that there are particular patterns of expression of the domains that seem relatively consistent.
That pattern looks like this:
“Zone of Enthusiasm”: This is where we feel most comfortable and where our behavior is most influenced.
- “Zone of Inner Conflict”: While we are drawn to this domain, it often brings feelings of inadequacy or discomfort, creating a conflicted love/hate dynamic.
- “Zone of Indifference”: We tend to feel little emotional connection to this area, often ignoring behaviors related to it.
The Preserving Instinctual Bias
How the Preserving Bias Shapes Behavior
Those with a dominant bias toward Preserving (“Preservers”) focus on ensuring they and their loved ones have enough food, shelter, and resources for comfort. Attuned to health and well-being, they often collect or cultivate traditions and artifacts that create continuity with the past. However, they may overdo these tendencies, feeling they never have enough, fearing disruptions to their comfort, or seeing scarcity even when resources are sufficient.
Some behaviors we might see in the Preserving instinctual bias include:
- Focus on “nesting and nurturing” to meet survival needs like food, water, clothing, shelter, and safety.
- Conversations center on nesting, conserving well-being, energy, resources, and ensuring financial security.
- Preservation and maintenance: Ensures safety and security, preserving objects, traditions, offspring, and close relationships.
- Home and family are key, with a focus on an ordered “nest” and comfort. Often engage in home-related hobbies and collect memorabilia.
- Sensitive to physical comfort, adjusting the environment to enhance well-being (e.g., chairs, beds, temperature, food, health).
- Quick to notice changes in health, with heightened awareness of potential illness or discomfort.
Subdomains of the Preserving Domain
In the Preserving domain, our behaviors and attention are focused on:
- Maintenance—attempts to fix and improve those things which make the first two possible. This includes feathering the nest, traditions, and repair.
- Well-being/Resources— attempts to be comfortable and healthy and to acquire “enough” resources without risking those we already have. This includes comfort, supply, and health.
- Security—attempts to keep ourselves, our loved ones, and our resources safe from harm. This includes safety, supportive relationships, and risk-avoidance.
| MAINTENANCE | WELL-BEING / RESOURCES | SECURITY |
| Tending to the Nest | Comfort | Safety |
| Repair | Supply | Relationship |
| Traditions | Health | Risk Management |
Strengths of the Preserving Domain for Leaders
- Good organizational skills (the nuts & bolts): structures, processes, and procedures.
- Attention to detail.
- Focus on process and procedures.
- Cautious and conservative; prefer proven methods to risky experimentation.
- Ability to predict potential problems and pitfalls.
- Ability to play the devil’s advocate who challenges new ideas.
Expression of the Instinctual Biases
- May neglect the leadership behaviors related to their zone of indifference (Transmitting): neglect the inspiration, the “selling” component of the leadership, failing to focus enough on marketing and sales or the selling of the vision.
- They are often ambivalent and conflicted about the needs addressed by the Navigating domain— they have some tolerance for the organizational politics but see it as a distraction; they may understand the value of “management by walking around” or talking with people to gauge the emotional temperature of the team but always find reasons to neglect to do so.
The Navigating Instinctual Bias
How Navigating Bias Shapes Behavior
Those with a dominant Navigating bias focus on group dynamics and their status within it. They seek to understand the hierarchy, interrelationships, and how to better fit in. As “soft networkers,” they maintain broad, loose connections to gather information about trust and reciprocity, often prioritizing this over-sharing about themselves. However, they may overdo it, becoming gossipy, overly image-conscious, or inclined to withhold the whole truth. At times, they may appear snobbish, excluding those who don’t meet their group criteria.
Some behaviors we might see in the Navigating instinctual bias include:
- Focus on “orienting to the group,” building alliances, trust, and reciprocity, and understanding one’s place in the hierarchy.
- Attuned to shifts in group dynamics and hierarchy, needing acceptance and understanding how the group works.
- Heightened sensitivity to social relationships, sometimes valuing the “idea” of people over direct engagement.
- Focus on exchanging insights, gossip, and observations to understand group dynamics, status, and norms.
- Naturally sociable but guarded—revealing enough to be accepted while sometimes judging others’ behaviors.
- Concerned with reputation and status, ensuring inclusion in the social network. Asking, Where do I fit? How do I compare?
Subdomains of the Navigating Domain
In the Navigating domain, our behaviors and attention are focused on:
- Trust/Reciprocity—attempts to understand who is trustworthy and can be safely transacted with. This includes information exchange, group coherence, and trade.
- Status/Identity—attempts to understand where everyone (especially oneself) fits into the social order. This includes pecking order, role clarity, and reputation management.
- Power/Influence Dynamics—attempts to understand who has power and who can be used to promote your agenda. This includes group politics, social intelligence, and hierarchy management.
| TRUST AND RECIPROCITY | STATUS / IDENTITY | POWER / INFLUENCE DYNAMICS |
| Information Exchange | Pecking Orders | Group Politics |
| Group Coherence | Role Clarity | Social Intelligence |
| Trade | Reputation Management | Hierarchy Management |
Strengths of the Navigating Domain for Leaders
- Good at social networking and interpersonal dynamics (they like to be around people and to know more about them).
- Good at building collaborative relationships with others.
- Attuned to organizational politics.
- Able to connect people to others with complementary interests, needs, or capabilities.
- Able to see multiple points of view and help build consensus while focusing on the big picture.
Expression of the Instinctual Biases
- Navigators may neglect those activities addressed by their tertiary instinctual domain (Preserving). They may fail to appropriately value or follow process, overlook threats to the company’s competitive position, and ignore details that could be the signs of bigger problems.
- They are often conflicted in the leadership areas of the Transmitting domain. They want to shine, but are hesitant to draw too much attention to their gifts; they may want to drive a vision but worry too much about the political impacts of doing so.
The Transmitting Instinctual Bias
How the Transmitting Bias Shapes Behavior
Those with a dominant bias toward Transmitting focus on demonstrating charm, charisma, and accomplishment. They are both broadcasters and narrow-casters—non-consciously transmitting signals to attract attention and homing in on receptive individuals to establish intense, sometimes brief, connections. This bias also compels them to leave a legacy, ensuring part of them lives on. However, they can overdo it, drawing too much attention to themselves, taking up “space” in the room, and leaving others feeling ignored or smothered by their intensity.
Some behaviors we might see in the Transmitting instinctual bias include:
- Focused on “attracting and bonding,” passing on genes, beliefs, values, and creations to make others carriers of that information.
- Driven to attract attention and “signal” others, often through self-referential behavior in conversations.
- Generally charismatic, self-confident, ambitious, and charming, drawing people in with their energy and success.
- Often focused on appearance, dressing to stand out, and using accents like jewelry to draw attention.
- Seek intense relationships, enticing others to engage and connect deeply.
- Motivated by a desire to leave a legacy (sometimes unconsciously), transmitting a part of themselves to the next generation.
Subdomains of the Transmitting Domain
In the Transmitting domain, our behaviors and attention are focused on:
- Broadcasting/Narrowcasting—attempts to send attention-getting signals to the broadest group; once a signal is received by someone the attention goes specifically to that individual. This includes signaling, seduction, and intense “one-to-one” relationships.
- Asserting—attempts to get what one wants, often with little inhibition. This includes satisfying desires, low-inhibition, and ambition.
- Impressing—attempts to “leave one’s mark” so one is remembered or leaves a legacy. This includes legacy, charm, and impact.
| BROADCASTING / NARROWCASTING | ASSERTING | IMPRESSING |
| Signaling “fitness’ | Satisfying Desires | Legacy |
| Seduction | Low Inhibition | Charm |
| Intense Relationships | Ambition | Impact |
Strength of the Transmitting Domain for Leaders
In the Transmitting domain, our behaviors and attention are focused on:
- Good at the sizzle: presentation/promotion of self and products, often good in sales.
- Often charismatic and extraverted. Able to inspire others around a common cause.
- Able to influence others at the individual or group level.
- Able to focus attention on a person for a short but intense moment, finding just the right thing to say and making the person feel like he or she is the only person in the room.
Expression of the Instinctual Biases
- Transmitters may neglect the leadership duties supported by the Navigating domain. They have little time for gossip or organizational politics beyond what it takes to advance their agenda. Their social interactions are usually transactional and have a definite purpose—to charm and sell their ideas when necessary—but they are not usually great listeners and quickly grow weary of social small talk.
- They are conflicted in the Preserving domain—they want to accumulate the resources necessary to fulfill their goals and they want to be comfortable and pampered, but they can be reckless—aiming to acquire the whole pie rather than only the amount they need—and forget to be appropriately conservative when conservatism is called for.
Exploring the Contradictions of Instinctual Biases
The Logical Tensions in the Preserving, Navigating, and Transmitting Domains
Adaptations within the same instinctual bias domain can conflict, creating internal tension as they meet similar needs in different ways. This dissonance often reflects how we’ve evolved to both cooperate and compete, resulting in seemingly contradictory behaviors that serve the same purpose.
In the Preserving domain, we crave indulgence (like sweets) but also care about health, leading to guilt over any indulgence. Preservers may nurture others but prioritize their own “nest” when resources are scarce, appearing nurturing at times and selfish at others.
In the Navigating domain, there’s a tension between revealing traits to gain group acceptance and hiding qualities to avoid rejection. Navigators often mentally evaluate others, seeking connection while guarding their reputation.
In the Transmitting domain, we seek deep connections while keeping options open. Transmitters attract attention with signals but may shift focus to themselves after making contact, creating a mix of outward and self-centered behaviors.
Although these behaviors can seem contradictory, understanding their logic reveals insights into ourselves and others.
The Instinctual Biases in Action
Understanding the Instinctual Bias Framework in the Workplace and Organizations
The impact of our instinctual biases is most evident when we look at how people behave in everyday workplace situations. These biases shape how individuals interact with others, approach tasks, and prioritize goals. By examining how each bias manifests in a practical setting—such as entering a room at a conference—we can see just how different these biases can be:
- Preservers will often focus on logistics, comfort, and making sure everything is stable.
- Navigators will usually assess social dynamics, paying attention to who’s speaking with whom and how people are relating.
- Transmitters will, after a brief period of orientation, tend to jump in, initiating conversations and making sure they stand out in the crowd.
These biases also influence job roles. Preservers often excel in operations or finance roles that require process and structure, Navigators are typically found in HR, marketing, or organizational development, while Transmitters thrive in sales, leadership, or roles requiring innovation.
Just as individuals exhibit instinctual biases, so do organizations. For example, finance-heavy industries may lean toward a Preserving bias, valuing stability and risk management, while creative industries may favor a Transmitting bias, focusing on innovation and impact. Recognizing and balancing these biases within an organization is key to fostering growth and overcoming limitations.
In Conflict Resolution and Collaboration
Leveraging the Instinctual Biases to Resolve Workplace Conflicts
Understanding these instinctual biases can help resolve workplace conflicts. Tensions often arise when people prioritize different things based on their biases. For instance, Preservers focused on stability might clash with Transmitters who push for change. Similarly, Navigators might feel left out if group dynamics aren’t clearly defined.
The ATA approach helps organizations depersonalize conflicts, viewing them not as personal disagreements, but as differences in priorities and perspectives driven by these instinctual biases.
For Leadership and Development
Leading Team Development with the Instinctual Biases
Leaders can leverage this framework to understand team dynamics and optimize performance. Recognizing the instinctual bias of each team member allows leaders to assign tasks that align with individual strengths. For example, Preservers may be more suited for roles requiring attention to detail, while Transmitters might excel in roles that involve leadership and innovation.
Additionally, understanding a person’s “zone of indifference”—the area where they are least comfortable or most likely to neglect—can help guide their development. Preservers might need to work on self-promotion, while Transmitters might benefit from improving their ability to navigate social or organizational dynamics.
Understanding the role of the instinctual bias will help leaders enhance clear thinking, enabling more objective decisions that foster both personal growth and overall team success. By recognizing how each bias influences behavior, leaders can create an environment where team members are both supported and stretched to maximize their potential.
Instinctual Selling
Leading Sales Success Through Understanding the Instinctual Biases
People of all personality styles can be successful salespeople. And, our personality style, particularly our instinctual bias, can help or hinder our ability to build rapport with clients and speak to their needs. The ATA Instinctual Selling program describes how understanding the instinctual biases (referred to as the “Enneagram instinctual variants” by some) can help even the most seasoned sales professionals get better results. Sales success depends on building rapport, understanding our customer’s needs, and speaking to those needs. Our “Instinctual Selling Program” helps you do that better.
Sales success depends on building rapport, understanding our customer’s needs, and speaking to those needs. Our “Instinctual Selling Program” helps you do that better.
Selling Styles Through the Lens of the Three Instinctual Biases:
Transmitting
Transmitting salespeople are often engaging and charismatic but can struggle to hear the customer’s needs.
Preserving
Preserving salespeople are methodical and consistent but can struggle to engage with customers.
Navigating
Navigating salespeople are good at understanding customer needs but can struggle with consistent execution.
Testimonials
Are you a Preserver, Navigator, or Transmitter?
Take this short personality quiz and find out your instinctual bias!
Start Your Journey Today
Executive Coaching
Preparing high-performing
leaders to scale effectively.
Group programs
Creating understanding around group
behavior through the Enneagram.
Enneagram OnDemand
Our asynchronous, self-directed introduction to personalities at work.
Summary
The Instinctual Bias Matter
It becomes clear why some people resonate with what we say (we’re discussing topics within their zone of enthusiasm), while others remain disengaged (the topics fall into their zone of indifference).
We also recognize that many miscommunications stem from mismatched values. By becoming aware of where our attention naturally goes—and where others’ attention is focused—we can navigate interactions more effectively and find solutions that address both our needs and theirs.
Whether you’re striving to improve your leadership skills, enhance team collaboration, or better understand your own motivations, the Awareness to Action Enneagram offers the insights and resources you need to succeed.