Each person favors one of the three centers of motivation. Balance between the centers produces clarity.

People for whom the mental center is dominant often appear to move away from or to be detached from others (operating in the world from inside their heads).

People for whom the emotional center is dominant often appear to move toward others or connect with people.

People for whom the instinctual center is dominant often appear to move against others, operating in a self-protective way (defending their autonomy).

Credits:
The alignment of personality theory with the work of pioneering psychologist Karen Horney in her book, Our Inner Conflicts (W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, NY, 1992) was developed by Janet Levine in her book, The Enneagram Intelligences (Bergin & Garvey, Westport, CT, 1999).