The Social Instinct

The Social instinct is not simply about us being sociable (or not) as human beings are essentially social beings. It is more about our ability to adapt, to co-operate, to understand what is going on with others and to modify our behaviours or act accordingly. People for whom the Social instinct is dominant are concerned with being accepted and useful in their world, are tuned in to others and aware of social hierarchies. On entering a room for example, they will pick up on power structures and subtle dynamics going on between groups or individuals. They are searching for a place - a sense of belonging - within the outer structures of their work, their community, society etc. They want to find a way to contribute to something beyond themselves and will do this by connection and interaction, touching base to find out what is going on and how best they can get involved. They have what could best be described as a 'contextual intelligence', able to read between the lines, to understand what is required and how their input, and that of others, can be effective out there in the world.

If the person is unhealthy then the Social instinct manifests in various antisocial behaviours. They may avoid others or deliberately antagonise them or behave in ways that alienate people. If the Social instinct is the least developed instinct then that person may not really see the point in social relationships or make much effort in that area. They may not be very good at knowing what is required in a situation and can tend to remain uninvolved in the social arena. They may not care what others think of them, feeling that they don't need other people anyway, and they can have frequent misunderstandings with friends and colleagues (or even close family members) because they do not read them accurately.