Conservation 8(SP8)

Lust in the Preservation Sphere

The SP8 has a drive for the type of life one deserves, their combination of lust with the SP instinct leads them to focus on getting what they need for survival. They are fixated on what they believe will bring them satisfaction of their needs, and they gobble up what they think they need, often at the expense of filling their real needs. The drive for satisfaction leaves little room to figure out what it is that they really require. Their insecurity about survival manifests in dominating and controlling behaviour, often getting the title of the least expressive and the most armed of the three Eight subtypes.

Ichazo called SP8 "Satisfactory survival", these people have a drive for the type of life they believe they deserve, an excessive selfish insistence on prioritizing their own desries without considering the good of others. Naranjo explained that these people want what they want with excess so much that their egoism loses the counterweight of solidarity.

Trait Structure

Emotional and physical voracity

The self-preservation 8 is defined by a constant and profound voracity that is not limited to the food or sex, but permeates their entire life experience. There is an internal drive that leads them to devour life to seize with eagerness that which gives them a sense of fulfillment. They do not tolerate lack or waiting they need to satisfy their impulses immediately as if there were a hidden threat in any postponement. This voracity is not only a character trait but a defensive strategy against a primary sense of emptiness that is intolerable to them. Their body becomes the main vehicle to connect with the world and their instinct pushes them to consume pleasure relationships experiences and possessions intensely and often unconsciously. This attitude can lead them to excesses and compulsions especially when they feel that something or someone is restricting their freedom or their access to what is desired. The idea of having to limit themselves feels humiliating and they rebel against any imposition It is a physical emotional and existential hunger that defines them from within.

Primary sensuality and defensive hedonism

In the self-preservation E8, the connection with the senses is overwhelming. It is a direct and primary way of being in the world. The body becomes the main territory of affirmation, pleasure, and power. Through the body, they feel alive and in control. Physical pleasure thus becomes a quick way to soothe deep anxieties, a shortcut to silence any sign of vulnerability. Eating, touching, feeling, enjoying; all this is more than enjoyment; it is a way to remain in control and prevent internal collapse. Through the sensory, they can dampen emotions they cannot handle and reinforce an identity shield of self-sufficiency. This defensive hedonism, however, can make them addictive, impulsive, and reluctant to give up what gratifies them immediately. From a superficial perspective, they may seem indulgent or excessive; from a deeper view, what is observed is a desperate attempt to avoid anguish and never feel weak or at the mercy of others.

Visceral rejection of vulnerability

One of the most defining traits of the self-preservation 8 is their visceral allergy to showing themselves vulnerable. For them, vulnerability is not only a weakness but a direct threat to their emotional survival. They reject any situation where they may feel exposed dependent or emotionally naked. This rejection translates into harsh disdainful and even aggressive attitudes when they perceive that someone is trying to penetrate their defenses. They hate being confronted with their wounds or being moved. They have learned from a very young age to hide their fragility behind a mask of strength using anger or indifference as mechanisms of evasion. This dynamic can lead them to sabotage relationships or close themselves emotionally when they most need to open up. However, under their façade lies tremendous sensitivity which has been encapsulated to avoid suffering. Their main struggle is not to succumb to the pain that inhabits them even if that leads them to live disconnected from their most intimate needs.

Hardened and distrustful character

Hardness is a seal in the personality of the SP8 which often appears as an impenetrable character resistant to any attempt of manipulation or external control. They have learned to protect themselves with an armor that keeps them safe from betrayals abuses or unwanted dependencies. From childhood they usually developed a distrustful look toward the environment convinced that nobody gives anything for free and that any show of affection may have a hidden price. This attitude is reinforced by life experiences that validate their vision of a hostile or exploitative world. That is why they prefer to anticipate any harm showing strength and self sufficiency.

Autonomous

Surely the person of this character learned from childhood that they are accepted and valued for being independent and resourceful, that love is random, that they may be liked or not for no apparent reason and that they can also be abandoned without more. Thus, they assume that everyone acts for their own benefit and that when they keep rules or promises, they do so out of convenience. Their autonomy comes from not having had the experience of care and attention. They generally received messages of having to manage life alone and not being able to count on anyone. To be independent requires self confidence, which is experienced as a subjective sense of capacity of being able to achieve goals. If it is not achieved, one tries again or gives up but without a sense of failure. It is also experienced as an inner sense of clarity of knowing what you need, what you want, and where you should go, although at a given moment the best may be to doubt or to change.

Solitary

In the psychic instances described by Karen Horney, the SP8 goes away and not towards or against like the SO8 and the SX8 respectively. That is, they hide; they isolate. This E8 is the quietest. They prefer distance to exposure, silence to unnecessary discussion. They are a lone wolf, used to solving everything on their own without asking favors or sharing their burdens. They are uncomfortable with crowds; they hate social gatherings, and deep down, they despise the gregarious. Their refuge is isolation; there they feel strong, invulnerable, free from the nonsense of others. The less they need others, the better they feel with themselves.

Confrontative

In the SP8, confrontation is direct concrete and quick. They detect the opponent’s weak point and know exactly where to focus to expose an injustice or falsehood Unlike the sexual subtype they can apply a strategy and control the timing and unlike the social subtype they are more autonomous and individualistic. The ease in facing and confronting is supported by the belief that they are the only one who sees the truth; the only one with permission to decide who is right and who is not. In this way, they ensure the affirmation of themselves.

Self indulgent

They forgive themselves everything convinced that they have the right to any action without considering the consequences, not even when they are destructive for themselves or for others. Their self indulgence is more related to dissociation unlike the E7 whose indulgence seeks to maintain a good self image In the SP8 self indulgence is at the service of intensity of satisfying their desires without restraint or remorse. What matters is to satisfy the impulse not to justify or to moderate themselves

Egoistic not empathic

They represent the stereotype of the tycoon Citizen Kane type; a self made man, pragmatic, and inflexible. The SP8 is not interested in nor feels curiosity for the lives of others. They seek information only to have control over the situation, personal or emotional details bore them and they quickly forget them if they are not useful to solve a problem. They have little need to socialize and empty social forms irritate them, everything must have a concrete purpose. Even the search for a partner or family responds to criteria of preservation. They cannot empathize because they have massively dissociated from emotions to cover their wounds. To feel what the other feels or needs would be to connect with their own inner world that is with their childhood pain. They consider any emotional or social approach useless, when in reality, they are defending their own fragility to open up is to expose themselves to harm from whoever it may come.

Cynical and materialist

Theirs is a world of action, desire, and satisfaction. They can be intelligent and even intellectual but they do not live in the mind or imagination. It is a world without fantasy. If there is no desire they are calm, if there is desire it must be satisfied quickly.

When the SP8 compares themselves with others it is to measure strength, toughness, the ability to face situations, to impose and dominate. This causes distance and silences to be effective. The SP8 speaks little, they only do so in playful situations or of trust. It is as if they were neutral, they can relate despite conflict or knowing that they are being unpleasant to the other. They have difficulty asking and receiving but not taking if they are the one who takes the initiative. They do not feel envy or resentment; their revenge is reactive, quick, and then they forget. They do not retain facts in memory much less details, but it remains in the body as an instinctive wisdom about where the danger is and which is the most convenient path. They do not feel guilt for their reactions because they are convinced they were necessary at that moment.

Hypervigilance and control

SP8s develop a very marked territorial instinct. Their home, their possessions, and their loved ones are perceived as an extension of themselves, and they feel a permanent obligation of vigilance and control over everything they consider theirs. This control is both physical and emotional; they control spaces, people, resources, making sure that nothing and no one escapes their supervision. There is an unconscious need to always keep an eye on what is important to avoid unpleasant surprises or situations of lack of protection. This hypervigilance leads them to always be alert, to have very developed antennas to capture any movement that could pose a threat, even minimal. However, this attitude can be exhausting both for them and for those around them as they often invade others spaces with a protective instinct that is received as control or possessiveness It is hard for them to trust enough to relax and let go so they live in a permanent state of tension and active defense

𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐝𝐞

The SP8s relationship with social norms is peculiar They are not necessarily antisocial but they tend to move with a very personal sense of ethics governed by their own code of values What is right or just is defined from their experience and convenience without necessarily attending to what is socially established This allows them to move with great freedom but also leads them to justify abusive or selfish behaviors if they consider they have the right to act that way They have little tolerance for external authority and tend to respond better to their own inner logic where the important thing is not to be exposed not to be scammed and to obtain what they consider legitimately theirs This functional amorality can make them very pragmatic individuals with great capacity to survive in difficult contexts but also people who minimize the impact of their actions on others It is not that they lack morals but that they design morality themselves according to what allows them to survive and satisfy their needs

𝐑𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

A less obvious but deeply rooted characteristic in the SP8 is their tendency to create routines or rituals around pleasure It is not simply about enjoying life but about establishing a compulsive relationship with certain gratifications that allow them to sustain their emotional balance These rituals may include specific meals consumption habits sexual routines or daily customs that become small anchors of security The repetition and predictability of these pleasures gives them a sense of control in the face of a world they consider hostile and unpredictable From a psychodynamic perspective this dependence works as an emotional buffer it helps them avoid contact with anguish lack or existential emptiness Pleasure becomes a refuge an anesthesia and an affirmation of power over their own life Questioning these rituals can generate fierce resistance since they are perceived as an essential line of defense against internal suffering That is why their rituals of gratification are not simple habits but defensive constructions of great emotional weight

𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Impatience is not simply a passing restlessness it is often accompanied by explosions of aggressiveness irritability and intimidating behaviors when they perceive that something or someone is blocking their access to what they consider legitimately theirs They tend to react with fury threats or disdainful attitudes in the face of frustration because they experience it as a form of injustice or humiliation Their defensive structure does not tolerate helplessness and any external limit is experienced as a personal affront This difficulty in managing frustration leads them to compulsive behaviors emotional blackmail or extreme reactions especially in the domestic or couple sphere Learning to tolerate waiting deprivation or renunciation is one of their most complex tasks in the process of emotional maturation

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞

A recurring characteristic in the SP8 is their frontal resistance to authority and their natural contempt for norms imposed from outside They feel a strong internal drive to challenge any figure that tries to curtail their freedom or impose an alien criterion This resistance is not always explosive it is often expressed in an underground way through disobedience irony or discreet sabotage Their automatic reaction to orders or impositions is distrust assuming that behind every rule there is an attempt at domination or manipulation This attitude can make them rebellious spirited people who above all value their ability to decide for themselves and do not tolerate feeling subjected to hierarchies However this contempt for the normative can also lead them to difficulties in collaborating in social work or family structures where agreements or basic rules of coexistence are required Developing a more mature relationship with authority means for them recognizing that not all external control implies oppression and that certain norms can be functional to common well being.

Claudio Naranjo's Conservation 8 Description

Conservation E8: A Very Hard Demander

If the sexual E8 is a manifestly intense person who does not disguise his antisocial attitude and even seduces with his courage to be a bandit, and the social E8 is one who puts his power at the service of just causes, we can briefly describe an E8 of conservation as a hard person in his egoism—and we can understand something of the type thought of the aforementioned Henry VIII or Stalin, whose very nickname, which was given to him by his acquaintances in his youth, alludes to the hardness of steel.

The conservation E8 does not believe in evasions. Even murderers try to justify themselves and talk so much that people forget there's a dead body involved. If she could speak, everything would be seen in another light. Not that she takes pity on the victims, because how can a man allow himself to be murdered. But on the other hand it is good that there are crimes so that the murderers receive their punishment.

Like a nocturnal prayer, the conservation E8 makes her children repeat: “First my teeth are my relatives!” When they argue, she goads them until they patch up their argument over the violence. What she likes the most is watching them box; little interest in harmless sports. Of course, she's not opposed to boys swimming, but more importantly, they should box.

They must be rich and earn millions. No mercy for fools who allow themselves to be deceived. There are two types of men: tricksters and tricked, weak and strong. The strong are like conservation E8, nobody gets anything out of them no matter how hard they squeeze them. It is best to never give anything. The conservation E8 would have made money, but she had children. It's their turn to do it now. Work is brutalizing, she tells them daily. Whoever has sight makes others work. The conservation E8 sleeps well, because she knows that she does not give anything.

The conservation E8 has never cried. When her husband went bankrupt, she was very angry with him. That is why she has held a grudge against him for eight years and when the children asked about him, she told them: “Dad was an idiot. Only an idiot ends up ruining himself.” The conservation E8 is not considered a widow. Her husband, who was a complete idiot, doesn't count for her, that's why she's a widow. In general, men are good for nothing. They are compassionate and let themselves be fooled. She doesn't let go, nobody takes anything from her, she could teach men a lesson.

The conservation E8 does not love reading, but has inflexible proverbs. When something harsh is said to her, she registers it instantly and includes it among her adamant proverbs.

We also find a brief caricature of this human type in the character of Comefuego, in Pinocchio, who, upon seizing the animated and talking doll that is Pinocchio, locks him up and uses him in his shows. All of this suggests the operation of a great egoism and the harshness necessary for exploitation, which becomes explicit when the giant says that compassion makes him sneeze.

This type of rude, selfish, and distrustful person also appears in several of Chaucer's stories, and shortly after in Hamlet's King Claudius, who the spectators of the work (like Hamlet himself) gradually discover as the murderer. Claudius knows how to give the impression that “nothing is happening,” resorting a lot to laughter, parties, and pleasure to hide reality—so much so, that in La Roya! A Shakespeare Company T-shirt was being sold during a Hamlet performance I attended, depicting Claudius simply with a crowned, smiling face.

We would say that, apart from the selfish satisfaction of their desires, lust in this human type takes the form of this superficial intensity of pleasures, designed to divert attention from interiority, which in this case hides their guilt. The supposed relevance of celebration and laughter implies the irrelevance of grief and doubts that seem to obsess young Hamlet, and the king tells him in an admonishing tone that death is something that must be accepted without making a mistake on an object of pathological attachment.

Perhaps we could consider Kafka's father as a literary character, since the writer so richly describes him in the thick book entitled “Letter To My Father” (which he never dared to give to the one for whom he had felt crushed throughout his life). Dedicated to carnage, Kafka's father understood little of his son's motivations or needs, and it can be said that he crushed him without even realizing what he was doing, in such a way that Kafka would come to compare it to the way he crushes himself to a beetle. It is also through this crushing father due to his insensitivity that we can understand the monstrous and invisible authority that makes itself felt in works such as “The Trial” and “The Castle” as an omnipresent element that corresponds to that persecuted and impotent condition to which that we have come to refer to as the Kafkaesque.

We perceive the conservation E8 as someone who, with great power, allows himself to do what he wants, and in whom, it can be rightly said that his passion to achieve what he wants is the constant of his life.

We see him ascend in his political career, in his social and economic level, going over any obstacle in the form of a person, political ideology, religious beliefs or affective ties of any kind. He lacks any type of complicity or bond of friendship and moves in relationships driven by his passion for power.

The family is a bargaining chip, it has a utility for him, it helps him make alliances or appear before public opinion in rallies and campaigns; they all play a role and are afraid of it.

We can say that he is a man who has managed to survive and enrich himself thanks to his strength, his ability to command and his emotional independence, “made from nothing with no other help than God,” but with a harshness that has made him implicitly cruel. He has possessed people and things without loving them.

E8 Conservation (Self-Preservation) – Satisfaction

The most armed of all the E8 is the conservational. The word that corresponds to it is satisfaction: “I have to have it. This is mine. I have to have it." It is more an intolerance of the frustration of what he wants to have than the actual having of it. In this sense, it is somewhat like a characteristic of the sexual E1, who is also obsessed in the desire for him. But an E1 is very different from an E8. E1 is hypersocial, while E8 is completely antisocial. E1 is too concerned with the rules and the other too little.

The E8 conservation pursues the satisfaction of your needs. He doesn't usually talk much. It is like the lion. A lion only moves when it is hungry. It seeks to satisfy its unsatisfied hunger and then sleeps for the rest of the day. Very majestically. It's like no nonsense, no words, no puns in a conservation eight.

We could say that his need is that of an exaggerated selfishness. They are the people who know how to do business and know how to haggle to get ahead of everyone. There is the expression: a used car salesman. That is the art or the talent of the eight conservation. But it is also his need: he is a survivor, a term that has been used for eights in general, but is more indicative of the conservation eight. He knows how to survive in the most difficult situations. He knows how to get things, how to get away with it.