#synflow

[rosecolouredflames]

i don't believe in contra/synflow bcs it's simply so dumb to believe SO many people would have 'developped' or 'evolved' wrong lmfao... sosp and spsx alone make over half the fucking human population. literally Why would they be so common if they were built wrong lol

[isekyaaa]

I have Wr*othesley's mbti and ennea down, but what are his ivs? I'm pretty sure he's synflow, but like.... sp/so, so/sx, or sx/sp? The hard thing is that you can make an argument for any of those. However, if I had to do the process of elimination, Wr*othesley seems like he has sp. The fact that he knows all of his prisoners and interacts with them semi-regularly points to soc. But sp/so? He gives off the vibes as someone not very concerned with soc matters. That and would someone soc really have no qualms with choking and killing someone? That seems more soc-blind if anything. So then sx/sp? But does he really show signs of sx?

[9-w-1]

Synflow and Contraflow are silly

Launching this blog with a theory that's been in my mind for a while now, and it's the fact that old typology tumblr gave too much importance to syn and contra.

Some time ago i read a post (idr who wrote it but if i find it again i'll link it here) that explained something that made me go oh fuck, that's true actually. If we assume that sx blinds are the majority of people in the world, are we really so sure that basically half of sx blinds (sosps) are really so bad at living like people describe them to be? Like, since I've been in a new city for uni I've met lots of people. Most of them are soc doms because Italy is a soc dom country. Most soc doms I've met were sosps, and they were not the awkward anxious ridden fuckups of society that ppl think sosps are. Actually, most of them were definitely more adjusted into society than I am, and this takes me to a point I discussed with a friend: in our society soc and sp are the most valued instincts to have, so sp blinds and soc blinds are definitely gonna seem more "contraflow" than a healthy and adjusted sosp. Like, take a Fe dom 9 core sosp for example. Are we really gonna assume that this person is gonna have this extremely contra vibe to them? No. In fact, I'd say that an estp 7 core sosx is gonna vibe more contra to people than a 9 core sosp.

I don't think synflow and contraflow is inherently a bad theory, I think it needs some more expansion and thought because it fails to stand on its own, it's wonky:

Like, maybe it's a bit overemphasized. I don't wanna discard the theory completely, but it needs something more to work in my mind.

By default I still think that having both soc and sp puts you at an advantage in our society, and you're automatically more well adjusted. I've met some sosps with a wonkier sp, but most of them had normal sp like you would expect from a sxsp. My gf is a 3 core sosp and her sp is normal. It's not always there, but you can feel her sp wall sometimes, it's sudden, maybe then that's what contraflow is about, but she's not bad at socing at all. So yeah, stop being mean to soaps >:C But yeah i probably forgot to add other things i had in my mind so if anyone wants to add anything feel welcome to do so :3

[counterphobes]

Perspective is important

A rant about the general approach to typology and why it does more harm than good.

So, Instinctual variants has always been a bit controversial and hard to understand for people. Its the best theory to showcase the point I'm making because of its less direct nature. People, if they were synflow, would simply reject the synflow/contraflow dichotomy because it just "didn't make sense" which translated to: "I don't have it, so I can't understand it" Big obstacle for most people who try to get into it.

I found it easy, probably because it takes a lot of observation of others rather than taking people's word for it. Its not a clear cut set of descriptors of personality like enneagram, but a categorization of people's mental and social energy flows. The Se really helps me out here.

Instinctual variants, like the name suggests, are instinctual, lots of it is subconscious behavior but its very evident to other people. It shows in body language, adjustment to society, opinions, rather than set personality markers.

There used to be a theory talking about how the instincts develop based on survival needs, sx is pair bonding, so is community, and sp is basic survival. That was the idea. Personally, I never liked it much, but thats probably for my own lack of sp and the fact that I simply never viewed the world in terms of survival. Its very obvious this perspective was written by an sp-dom, and thats the thing, even if I have other problems with the survival idea -> like the overall lacking sp-blind descriptions because sp blindness inherently invalidates the association of sp=human drive for survival. ( I mean, erybody has that! Even sp-blinds!) or depicting sp-blinds as leaching off of others for survival, I still see the benefit because this perspective explains an sp-dom to me, someone I'm never gonna relate to, this is what they see in the world.

We should realize that the source of those descriptions basically give us an "in" to the brain of the author. Its much more valuable to me to dissect somebody's perspective. than somebody's personality. How their brain works, how they conceptualize things around them, how they're able to understand the world.

Logic is not objective, the things we consider to make sense don't make sense for another and their inability to understand our point doesn't translate to any lack of intelligence. It simply points towards a perspective so different, their way of making sense and understanding things is not comparable, and thats interesting. We need perspectives, we need different interpretations, we need to understand eachother, thats what typology is about for me. Not "who is more intelligent" and making a pissing contest out of it.

I encourage anyone to make their own theories, to make sense of things themselves, translate your world with the descriptors of typology and let other people begin to understand your perspective. Analysis is typology, no matter where you're coming from, as long as you're dissecting things and sorting them, I wish to know by what order the world works to you. What categories do you apply? What similarities do you see? Where do you recognize yourself? What do you find important?

Tell everyone! Write your own shit. Who cares.

[azenta]

How can I determine if I'm 7w6 sx/so or sx/sp?

The main way to know is by noticing which blind spot the you have, and knowing if you rather attract or repel (syn or contra) also greatly help to tell them apart. 

Sp blindness implies someone who rather neglect or sacrifice its material gains and intimacy quite easily. They prefer challenging and varied connections, therefore it makes them the most shallow and scattered 7 out there. Shallow because Sp blindspot paired with 7 imply a disinterest for intimacy and so, a sort of avoidance of it also. They’re most likely Pe dom or have their Pe integrated on top of having their ego fixated on Pe.

Sx/so over So/sx will be more of a show off and so, more focused on competitivity. Therefore, they tend to use connections around and their engagement to spice things up and heighten the stake of any activity. This usually translates in challenging people to all sort of stuff, casual to serious business, so they tend to be the biggest risk-taker of the 7s. I’d say they’re the most sensitive to being challenged by people, as challenges will be their main source of stimulation, and soc plus w6 will make them sensitive to engage into those challenges due to search for appartenance this combo creates. They tend to have a cp w6 usually because of this, and to be confounded for 7w8. By comparison, So/sx 7′s thrill is to connect and get engaged in social activities of all sort. So/sx 7 will use challenging activities to bond and improve their engagement with whatever they’ve chosen to. It will be less axed toward competition and more so on challenges that force people to cooperate, since So/sx being synflow pushes towards unity compared to contra in Sx/so, which highlights individual survival, as showcased above. This makes So/sx 7s the typical hyperactive social butterfly 7s. 

Soc blindness on the other hand will imply someone who will sacrifice or neglect engagements and social needs. They’ll prefer intimate but challenging connections, which makes them the most typical ride or die 7s. Therefore, they are much more prone to runner-chaser dynamic, which isn't remotely better than being shallow. It’s exciting, but not lasting. They’re not less likely Pe dom, but they are more prone to have some introverted development or ego fixation on introverted function, more likely Pi if they are Pe dom. It is more likely for a 7 soc blind to have an introverted dominant function, compared to the sp blind ones, but they are likely fixated on their Pe as well.

Sx/sp over Sp/sx will be more of a ‘’chaser’’ for opportunities, and so more typically showcasing the assertion of 7s than the Sp/sx stacking. Therefore, they’re the kind to track down what could stimulate them and enjoy the play around getting what they want. They play it safer than Sx/so, as Sp makes them more aware of their resources (material or energy), but they also willingly spare those resources to then use them at the best opportune time in order to own up to any challenge they were seeking for. They are the most thrill seeker of 7s. By comparison, Sp/sx is more the runner, purposefully daring people to some challenges and then vanishing once it is done, creating a sense of wanting more and of desire in their targets. They give just enough to hook people up, but then retreat in Sp, in their safe space, all while creating a storm around to keep them entertained and stimulated. They are non-conventional 7s, as their assertion will play more in spontaneously creating limits out of their ass nowhere, which purposefully instigate tensions and often create all sort of conflict justifying their avoidance (aka, running away). I’d simply call them the most typical avoidant 7s. The syn and contra distinction here would be that an Sx/sp 7 is more engaging as it prefers to pursue what it is attracted to, while the Sp/sx 7 tend to be dismissive and hard to establish anything with. Even tho Sx/sp 7 doesn't guarantee much more commitment on the long run, due to being 7 core and having soc as a blind spot, they are still more open to try to establish some kind of bond, while Sp/sx finds its thrill by maintaining anyone on verge, preventing more often than not to establish anything at all.

What the Sx/so and Sx/sp stacking in 7 core have in common is how they’ll both seek to challenge themselves one way or another. So, they’ll be the most assertive 7s. The biggest distinction is how Sx/sp is more picky and will invest their energy for a longer period of time, but won’t be aware of the engagement it can implicate and will likely disengage themselves the moment the challenge isn’t relevant anymore. While Sx/so is more willing to any kind of challenge and more willing to engage themselves in all sort of opportunities, but will invest less of their energy as it is shared in the ‘’many’’ and therefore depleted compared to their soc blind counter-part.

I would recommend to get further information to get a broader idea of Sp blindness vs Soc blindness, and even syn vs contra flow, so you can get enough information to make a more thoughtful judgement on whether you’re one of those. That’s what I had to share on that matter. There could be more nuances to be added, but I need more specific question to pin point what details you, or anyone, would like to know about.

So, I hope it could be helpful. If you have any other question, you’re welcome to ask. 

[istj-hedonist]

Maybe dumb ask lmao but re: ur sp/sx is contraflow so it's very sp, are contraflow types seemingly more dominated by their first instinct compared to the synflow variant (like sx/so will seem more "sx" or w/e than sx/sp)?

with synflow the functions are just in balance and the second instinct serving the dominant one well and you can mostly see them working in symbiosis.

for contraflow it’s more like “90% the dominant instinct only”.. then “10% the second instinct going nuts and ignoring the first one completely and ruining everything the dominant instinct stands for”... and then going back to the dominant one who needs to clean up the mess.

e.g. sx/so will mostly look “extremely sx with no soc” and then at rare times “extremely soc with no sx” before returning back to sx-mode. whereas sx/sp is a constant flow of steady intense sx + a touch of sp.

[weedinduceddepression]

hello my lovely contraflows!! :) i decided to make us a contraflow pride flag - it’s time we stood up to our oppressor (the synflows) and show pride in who we are!!! if anyone is curious, katy perry stands for so/sp, the axe murderer stands for sp/sx, and the witch stands for sx/so :) :) :)  i hope all of my contras are staying safe today - it can be scary living in a synflowarchal society!!!

(synflows you can reblog)

[asinskare]

i have a hypothesis abt contraflow development!!

okay so idk at what point people take on their first instinct but i don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume people are either born with it or it shows within the 1st year of life. and the natural path for every child is synflow so if they are born/show sx their natural evolution would be to have sp as the second instinct. i want to put forth that this is the default. if you let a child develop their second instinct without interference this is how it will develop.

so my hypothesis is that contraflows develop by having the unnatural instinct forced on them by their parents/community/circumstances! if a child is born with/shows sx and their parents force them to pay attention to soc because they believe it’s important the child will develop the contraflow orientation. so contraflows will likely develop when their parents’ or primary caretaker’s first instinct is counter to the natural orientation of the child’s first instinct.

i had this thought bc of @galacticlust thank you!! for explaining your experience it really helped me decide on this bc my experience with sp is similar to yours with soc!!

[estj-destroyer-of-misinformation]

You're so synflow omg

Yay I’m functional

[dasaene-archive]

how can you tell that someone's contraflow vs synflow? ive been trying to find more information but all i can find are weirdos on forums talking bs

I’m kin with “weirdos on forums talking bs”

Synflow vs contraflow typing for me is usually half vibes, a third of visual typing/observation, and whatever the rest is from conversation. I can’t teach you how to read vibes lol, but I can try to explain the other two. Also disclaimer, I can’t always type between so/sp and sx/so so I can help you with typing in general but you probably need to go to someone with sx that can easily tell the difference since sx-blindness = what is sx and why can I only see soc

The most basic of basic things in synflow vs contraflow typing is whether they have a habit of rubbing people the wrong way. If a lot of people avoid or dislike someone - with a couple exceptions of so/sps or sx/sos bc sock groups are Weird Like That - they are probably contraflow. Conversely, if someone avoids everybody or seems to dislike everyone despite not being disliked themselves, they are probably synflow (unless they are an sp/sx somehow good at not pissing people off or an sx/so all the sx-blinds stalk). I don’t see any so/sx actively avoiding everybody, but if you know they’re sp-blind and they blend in well with their social environment, they’re so/sx.

As you can see, there a some exceptions, but contraflow are grouped together bc their instincts work against each other and drive people away in the process, so contraflow are in my experience easier to spot than synflow. Look for quirks that show evidence of inner conflict or unconscious (or you know, sometimes conscious) unattractive behavior, bc a lot of contraflow people are actually pretty likable yet have these qualities that discourage others from approaching them before they get to see any likability. Lol that sounds so mean

Body language and facial expressions are e v e r y t h i n g, so if you have no Fe or Se, you’re going to have to train your Si a lot. You can find plenty of behavioral descriptions on other blogs, and I would recommend either @istj-hedonist or @mbtiguy for that since their dom Si and dom Se are great resources for fairly accurate observations.

When all else fails in a typing situation, not just for instinctual variants, holding a conversation with someone is best. You can listen to their speaking patterns, learn what and how they value things, their hobbies and experiences, etc. etc. Not only do you end up killing boredom and getting a better idea of their type, you may also end up with a potential friend, so if you’re not feeling shy I do think that talking with people is the best way to type them.

[organized-chaotic-disaster]

So looking into synflow vs. contraflow stuff in enneagram, I’m finding a lot of positive things about synflow, and negative things about contraflow

I’m just wondering if anyone might know how a contraflow might be able to find self-acceptance or self-love, something along those lines? Because reading up on contraflow doesn’t seem to be terribly helpful lol

[phainon]

+

[counterphobes]

i know there’s already a lot written about synflow vs contraflow but what’s your take on it

Omg hihihi thanks for the ask

So in theory I believe contra vs synflow just describes how the instincts interact with one another. Synflow means the instincts operate together, each of their influence is indistinguishable from the other, which is why spso and sxsp tends to perceive itself as just sp (I think people are just more conscious of where they keep private than what they share, which is why this affect is a thing)

The stack is a unit in synflow, its balanced (which is why I hate subtype, acts as if sxso and sxsp are SO similar to the point of no distinction) while in contraflow, the clashing of the instincts is what creates the "contra energy" that so many people comment on.

Sp without so to balance it out when interacting with others? Spsx school shooter edgelord that doesn't care about being liked or even interacting with others is born. The sx does nothing to help here, all it does is add an extra layer of unfiltered expression that just makes the entire deal even more insufferable

Sx without sp to balance? Birth of sxso, a bulldozing high energy presence overruns everything with no filter and has nothing to keep it in check from getting too intense/vulnerable on the first date. Everything is too much too quickly and there's no sense of privacy because everything is just pushed out for show/broadcasted through the soc

So without sx? Every social interaction turns into the most pained and pushed experience where they barely get what they want, because they have nothing to navigate with and so is vulnerable/open by default. With that sp breathing down their neck sosps r so hyper-aware of how antisocial they are its staggering their attempts at making connections and leaves them unfulfilled.

[azenta]

How can I determine if I am a Sx/Sp or a Sp/Sx 9w8?

As a word of advice, I wouldn't recommend looking how each variant affect the core to determine IVs or even the core type, it usually creates pointless confusion and dumb mistypes.

In this case, the best way to determine which you are is by noticing if you are synflow or contraflow, independently of your core. Variants are their own, so get to the core of their concept before seeing how it will play in a 9 core (independently of its wings at first). I won't elaborate on each, it wasn't the question, neither do I have the patience to do this rn, so I'll focus on syn vs contra flow.

Synflow is more about creating and maintaining the flow of things, while contraflow is disturbing and challenging the course of the flow.

By flow, it means how fluidly the "energy" flows between the concerned subjects/objects. Let's take the easiest example to illustrate this abstraction: relationships. Synflow would mean someone who facilitates creating, maintaining and/or the caring of relationships. They allow to somewhat create a flow, power up the flow or preserve the flow between them and one or many people. Contraflow on the other hand disturb, challenge and/or redirect relationships. So, they divide the flow, destroy flows and/or preserve from the flow between them and one or many people. It is a more chaotic/destructive force, but this destructiveness should be seen as rather a purging force, not sheer annihilation. Contraflow declutters the shit that could interfere, while synflow simply add indefinitely. In both case, it can create problems, but both aren't inherently nuisible. Briefly, the negative of synflow is to create overflows which ironically damage and potentially destroy as well, while the negative of contraflow is to simply block and dry up the flow, which also causes damage and potentially destroy.

So, in the end, flow means how well things interact with each other. Synflow stimulates the flow, contraflow brakes the flow. Therefore, you need to notice if you tend to ease this flow or brake it, then see how you ease it or brake it to be sure of which IV you use.

I got some other advices and warning before concluding. Withdrawness and Sp tends to be easily confused, but I'd recall withdrawness is an imperative to be called a 9 core. Sx or Soc won't make a 9 less withdrawn, it will show differently, but it won't make it less self absorbed. While Sp dom won't make the 9 an absolute shut in, it makes the 9 more preoccupied with how they invest their "resources" (energy, time, money, etc.), thus not necessarily more self absorbed, but more prudent. Soc blindness also won't make the 9 a shut in, it simply means the 9 will be clueless or indifferent toward engagements (Soc).

If you want precisions or have other questions, don't hesitate to ask. I can say a lot more around those topics, but I try to limit myself to the most efficient answer, or else I would write freaking book long post lmao.

[istj-hedonist]

What exactly is contraflow v synflow? Like how do contraflow stackings feel different than synflow?

synflow: sx/sp, sp/so, so/sx

smart, strong, beautiful people, jesus is smiling at them

contraflow: sp/sx, sx/so, so/sp

awkward, bastards of evolution, a disgrace to society

[virieu]

i'm sp/sx