Existentialism (EX)

Center: Purpose
Triads: Distinguishing • Directing • Exchanging

Basic Description
The Existentialism instinct (EX) is about feeling truly alive by tracking the purpose that connects all experiences, people, and ideas together. EX is driven by the need to make sense of the vast amount of information and meaning in the world, and it seeks to direct these discoveries toward a larger understanding of purpose and significance. For those with Existentialism in their stacking, life is not just about survival or relationships—it’s about chasing the underlying meaning and truth behind everything, trying to answer the questions, “Why do we exist?” and “What is the purpose of this experience?”

EX 1st (EX/–/–)
For Existentialism dominants, life is centered around the pursuit of meaning and purpose in everything they experience. These individuals are constantly tracking patterns, connections, and invisible lines of meaning that tie together their experiences, seeking to understand the greater truth behind life’s events. EX first types feel most alive when they are able to engage with complex ideas and distinguish the purpose behind them, always looking to uncover the hidden code that explains existence.

For these individuals, every interaction and experience is perceived as distinct and meaningful in its own way, with its own unique purpose. They are driven to explore the deeper layers of reality, constantly searching for ways to bring clarity and understanding to the chaos of life. Whether through personal experiences, relationships, or the exchange of ideas, EX dominants are always looking to dissect reality, making sure every moment is fulfilling and connected to something greater.

Their sense of aliveness comes from feeling like they are on the path to understanding life’s most profound questions. They believe that truth and meaning are not always obvious but can be uncovered through relentless exploration of ideas, people, and experiences. For EX dominants, the ultimate purpose is to make sense of the chaotic mess of information and direct it toward a complex map of understanding of why we exist–the eternal question of “why?”.

PSI vs. PIS Stackings
In PSI, Self-Survival supports Existentialism by providing flexibility in the physical world that is necessary for individuals to engage deeply in their search for purpose and meaning. Their bodily well-being ensures that they have the foundation needed to pursue existential questions, grounding their philosophical explorations in reality. Self-Survival feeds into Existentialism, offering the physical resources that allows them to focus on understanding the broader purpose of life without worrying about immediate survival needs.

In PIS, Existentialism is supported by Interpersonal relationships, where the individual’s search for meaning is shaped by their emotional connections with others. Relationships help them explore existential questions, and they view interpersonal dynamics as a way to gain insight into the greater purpose of life. Interpersonal dynamics feed into Existentialism, helping the individual understand their place in the world through the lens of relationships, with each connection offering new layers of meaning and significance.

EX 2nd (–/EX/–)
When Existentialism is second in the stacking, it plays a supportive role to the primary instinct, helping individuals explore meaning and purpose in ways that enhance their core desires. EX second individuals are naturally drawn to philosophical questions and existential exploration, but they don’t need to be constantly immersed in these pursuits. Instead, they use their sense of purpose to provide clarity and direction for their primary instinct, ensuring that their actions are supported by a greater meaning or feeling of fulfillment.

These individuals often seek to understand the purpose behind their experiences and interpersonal dynamics, using existential exploration as a way to enhance their life pursuits. EX second types are typically able to balance their philosophical interests with their more immediate goals, ensuring that their search for meaning supports their broader life journey.

IPS vs. SPI Stackings
In IPS, Existentialism shapes and supports the individual’s Interpersonal relationships, with their emotional connections being the driving force of their instinctual highs. Relationships provide them with insight into their personal significance and purpose, helping them better understand the existential meaning behind their experiences and how it creates a more fulfilling life. Existentialism feeds into their Interpersonal dynamics, offering the individual the emotional grounding necessary to flexibly pursue their broader philosophical questions as they arise.

In SPI, Self-Survival is supported by Existentialism, where the individual’s physical survival needs are shaped by their existential wonderings. They are driven to understand how their actions and decisions impact their survival in the long term, using their sense of existential purpose to offer many options to their ultimate desire for physical resources. Self-Survival feeds into Existentialism, providing a practical framework for understanding life’s meaning through the lens of survival and bodily well-being.

EX 3rd (–/–/EX)
When Existentialism is in the last position, individuals often have a complicated relationship with philosophical exploration and the search for life’s meaning. They may initially feel disconnected from the need to explore purpose, often focusing more on their practical goals or relationships. EX last individuals might avoid deep periods of existential questioning until they have certainty that engaging in it will bring fulfillment.

However, once they learn to integrate Existentialism in a way that aligns with their primary and secondary instincts, they begin to see the value of understanding their purpose. Once they understand how existential exploration can enhance their broader life goals, they find a deep sense of satisfaction in philosophical reflection. They begin to recognize that understanding the deeper meaning of their experiences offers a sense of clarity and direction, helping them navigate life more effectively. EX last individuals often take extra time to fully embrace their search for purpose, and once they do, they discover that it provides important context for their other pursuits.

SIP vs. ISP Stackings
In SIP, Existentialism is shaped by the individual’s Self-Survival needs, with their focus on physical well-being being subconsciously supported by their search for life’s meaning. They view their bodily survival as a key part of securing a comfortable day-to-day life, using their search for meaning to ensure that their actions are aligned with their survival needs. Existentialism feeds into Self-Survival, providing a practical framework for understanding the meaning of life through the lens of daily survival in this physically focused existence.

In ISP, Existentialism is supported by Interpersonal relationships, where an individuals purpose offers insight into emotional connections. Philosophical questions help them explore relationships and gain a deeper understanding of life’s meaning where they normally wouldn’t bother. Existentialism becomes a way to zoom out and see how relationships can be secured in numerous different areas of life, opening the individual up to their normal zoomed out perspective while offering satisfaction from seeing how purpose supports their native way of being.

Tension & Lines
Existentialism is the tension between the unknown and self-significance instincts. On one hand, these individuals are driven to track their own purpose for existing and how their own story can connect to the stories of others like the self-significance instinct. On the other hand, they are driven to track possibilities, new information, and how the present can devolve into infinite routes like the unknown instinct. The tension between these two inner drives creates the specialized focus on the higher truths, shared purpose, and need for answers of the existentialism instinct.

Existentialism is connected to, and in turn, comprised of the security and community instincts. When one is driven to track the purpose of existence, they inherently focus on how their physical existence is affected by all sensations like the security instinct – as well as how every human is interconnected through ideas and purpose like the community instinct. The sum of these two connecting instincts, multiplied by the tension between the neighboring instincts are what all culminate together to form the existentialism instinct.