type 7 instincts

personality structure

type seven belongs to the thinking triad, associated with the core emotion of fear and a central concern with safety. however, type seven may not necessarily feel fear, as they underplay their emotions, defending themselves with intelligence, and using a coping strategy of steering clear from fear and related feelings. rapidly moving (“monkey mind”) away from fear, they tend to focus on that which will create a positive outlook and pleasurable feelings.

most type sevens report a happy childhood, but selective recall plays a significant role in this. the mind of the type seven started to reframe negative feelings into positive ones quite early, avoiding the painful side of life, by focusing on the bright side. their memory therefore supports fantasy in order to deny suffering. for some, there is a clear memory of “falling from paradise” and a movement in the mind of escaping into earlier and happier fantasies. from that point, when anxiety, fear, or pain threaten, a similar strategy will be employed without any conscious awareness of this mental move. this results in an active imagination, a positive temperament, and an inventive mind. avoiding difficult emotions becomes an automatic and unconscious mental action. later in life this is rationalized as choosing to focus on the bright side rather than the dark side.

in the history of type sevens there is typically a good relationship with the mother and a more challenging relationship with the father. usually, the father will be experienced as an authority too strong to be met head-on. mother is experienced as overprotective, permissive, and indulgent, which supports the pattern of turning away from that which is difficult towards that which is easy. life becomes built around an intelligent defense: by looking forward to what can be enjoyed, they avoid unpleasant feelings or the limitations of circumstances beyond their control.

defense mechanism: rationalization and idealization

the type seven’s characteristic ease in reframing their experience into positive terms stems from their primary defenses, rationalization and idealization.

rationalization as a defense entails finding good reasons for doing whatever one wants to do, seeing things how one wants to see them, and believing what one wants to believe. for example, if they suffer setbacks, type sevens think of those as a learning experiences. this is done to avoid feelings of defeat or failure. thus, their real motivations may remain hidden to them. needing to see things in positive terms also leads to idealization. this allows the type seven to see situations and people as better than what they really are, avoiding reckoning with less than positive aspects of the person or situation. in this way idealization allows the type seven to maintain a fantasy relationship to the person or situation, and to stay at the surface of the relationship, avoiding depth.

attention fixation

the type seven is self-referencing, referring often to their own needs and especially their own thoughts. they can easily escape into their own plans and preferences. this habit is essential to managing their experience by directing their internal thought processes. it can also lead type sevens to (often unconsciously) use their mental intelligence to manipulate others. they naturally assert their own agenda by automatically focusing on their own needs and self-interest.

type sevens automatically pay attention to positive data in a situation and can accentuate and expand such, until they have a best-case scenario unfolding. they want to feel good and stay upbeat, and so tend to downplay negative data. characteristically pleasure-seeking, type sevens see the world as their oyster. keeping the mood as high as possible and for as long as possible drives them. focusing on the best that life has to offer, they earn the description of adventurer or epicure. life becomes an endless possibility and opportunity so that enthusiasm and fascination keep them on the move. they are the most optimistic enneagram type, and typically have charming visions infused with a thirst for new experience. type sevens sincerely believe they can actualize all they can imagine for themselves and attain anything they aspire to.

they are future-oriented and can live in an imagined reality based on how they want things to be. this orientation also allows them to avoid being and feeling in the present. they can choose the most desirable option on the fly. attention automatically shifts to a new possibility when the current becomes less desirable. in this way they hedge their commitments. when they say “yes,” they may actually mean “maybe.” disliking limitation of any form, they have a soft anti-authoritarian stance, allowing them to maintain control of their choices and commitments. they find housework and paperwork too routine, since these are inherently constraining. multitasking is used as a way to avoid boredom. they usually have several things — lines of thought or activities — going at the same time.

emotional passion: gluttony

in the context of the enneagram, gluttony suggests an (often insatiable) hunger for stimulating experiences of all kinds, including good meals, pleasurable interactions, interesting conversations, and exciting travel plans. all of this compensates for an underlying fear or insecurity. gluttony is often a “wanting more without taking in.” as consuming rather than digesting is the focus, the experience leaves the type seven unsatisfied, which leads to the next pursuit of pleasure. the rationalization for this cycle then takes the form: “what can be wrong with wanting to have a good time?”

their pleasure can have a romantic cast, and whilst this makes them attractive to others, it may also be difficult for them to establish deep relationships. frustration is hidden behind the enthusiasm. whilst the gluttony for experience arises from the need to avoid suffering and emptiness, gluttony actually is their suffering. wanting more ultimately leads to feelings of emotional emptiness. even as they talk about wanting deep engagement, they fear it.

cognitive mistake: believing "i’m okay and you’re okay" (isn’t always okay)

the cognitive stance of the type seven centers on beliefs that support the passion of gluttony by focusing on the idea that the best way to live is to keep your mood up, have options, and be optimistic. this approach to life expresses a deeper and often unconscious fear that if they don’t have options, and if they don’t expend energy to stay happy, they will get stuck in a painful experience they don’t believe they could tolerate. they fear getting stuck in feelings of boredom, anxiety, sadness, depression, discomfort, and pain. the following underlying principles support their focus of attention:

this excessive positivity is a strategy designed to perpetuate the illusion that we can live our lives to the fullest even as we avoid the inevitable pain of living. this finally leads to the type seven trap: the need to keep moving away from pain ends up being anguish in and of itself. the defensive measures type sevens employ to avoid discomfort can, in the end, leave them depressed when they wake up to realizing that avoiding difficult feelings and realities do not make such go away. rather, they just get swept under the carpet where they gather, until they finally trip you up. in the same way that light always casts a shadow, the light side of life that type sevens celebrate so well always has a corresponding dark side, which they often refuse to see. without experiencing the bad, how can we ever fully appreciate the good?

type 7 shadow

type sevens shadow pain and discomfort, and especially the potential value of feeling painful emotions. they model the basic human impulse to retreat from pain and other bad feelings – a reaction that forms the basis of all our psychological defenses. normal human emotional pain, and the place that it has in service of personal growth, becomes shadowed, motivating the type seven to focus on pleasure. their preoccupation with freedom assures them they won’t be forced to stay in a particular painful reality. mostly their fear and anxiety remain blind spots, even when those emotions are driving most of their actions. this unconscious force gets acted out in the search for mental stimulation, fun things to do and think about, and planning future adventures. in this way they habitually avoid regular contact with their pain, and by extension, their emotional depth.

related to the fear of fear, type sevens have a strong aversion to boredom. this often expresses as a resistance to becoming aware of experience and therefore understanding themselves and others. behind the constant movement of mind and action is the unconscious fear of slowing down enough to experience stillness, which may lead to depth. their need to be “light” can create a situation where others do not see them as substantive, but rather as superficial or noncommittal. they may also remain blind to their own resilience. this (often unconscious) fear presents differently in the three subtypes.

SP type 7 — keeper of the castle

the SP type seven expresses gluttony through the formation of alliances. they create a kind of family network and band together with trusted others, through whom they can get their needs met. relying mostly on those whom they trust, they create a kind of surrogate family of people they value – a family within which they typically occupy a privileged position. they are practical, good at networking, skilled at getting what they want, and finding a good deal. type sevens can be opportunistic, self-interested, pragmatic, clever, and calculating. they may display an excessive concern with making a good deal at every opportunity.

the SP type seven is adept at finding pathways to making things happen for themselves and keep their ears to the ground in service of this. they are also socially adept, displaying an alertness and mindfulness to opportunities that support their survival. it may or may not be conscious to them, but the maxim running their life is one of “i serve you and you serve me.” at its worst this may include corruption.

their style is cheerful and amiable, with traits that resemble the hedonistic playboy or playgirl. they tend to be warm and friendly, and love to talk. this can express in a kind of greed and impatience that reflects their need to consume as much pleasure as possible. a lot of energy is given to controlling everything and handling things without being noticed. most of the time they also get away with getting what they want.

the SP type seven often confuses desire with need, believing themselves to constantly need more, including money, resources, and connections. although warm and amiable, their strategic and mental nature can isolate them from others at a deeper level. they are kind, generous, and like to feel that people depend on them. they may feel omnipotent to the point of using people. they may also act above the law, believing themselves to not be constricted like ordinary people. dedicating their lives to the pursuit of a kind of primordial womb, they may use sex, food, and drink as an escape from difficulty.

whereas the SX type seven can be highly idealistic and gullible, the SP is not so much idealistic as cynically distrustful. more practical and concrete, they are the most astute and strategic of the type sevens. SP type sevens may also experience less problems with making commitments than the other two subtypes. often, having close relationships is a kind of investment for them. for this reason, they also are very active in the groups they join and the networks they are affiliated with. spiritual aspiration is not common for the SP type seven, and even though friendly and cheerful, they might be disconnected from their emotions.

SO type 7 — sacrifice (countertype)

SO type sevens represent a kind of pure character in that they consciously avoid exploiting others (counter the gluttony). it is as if they can sense the gluttony and therefore consciously choose to act against it. this is the type seven who wants to avoid being excessive or opportunistic, and the passion may be hidden in altruistic behavior. the SO type seven avoids focusing on their own self-interest by pursuing an ideal of themselves in the world and tend to defer their own desires in pursuit of such an ideal. in striving towards this ideal they may attempt to live with purity in diet, health, and spirit. in this way they resemble the five in their asceticism. in trying to prove their goodness, they typically give more to others and take less for themselves, and in this way resemble the two.

SO type sevens take on a lot of responsibility in the group and family. in this environment they tend to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others. part of the ego strategy of this subtype is that they want and even crave to be seen as good for their sacrifice. they are hungry for love and recognition and invite admiration. their sacrifice and service become the price they pay for the need for admiration. in addition to inspiring appreciation and recognition in others, they want to have a good image, reduce conflicts, and create debts in others. however, these motivations can lead to superficial relationships. even whilst they are drawn to alleviating another’s pain, they do not want to feel it themselves, and so the other’s pain becomes their projected care. this leads to an indulgent and generous character capable of managing projects and mobilizing energies for a particular purpose. services are rendered with a lot of dedication.

SO type sevens may also distrust themselves as they may be aware of the inner tension between altruism and self-interest. they are highly idealistic, and their idealism is often a mix of illusion, good intention, and ingenuity, that function together as an “intellectual drug”, motivating action. they are very active, and want to improve the world, investing in altruism, idealism, dedication, and sacrifice to make them feel more acceptable. rationalization is used to defend and support their actions. their positive intentions may be underscored by a sense of panic about losing their idealism, as they fear that this loss will lead to apathy and emptiness.

the SO type seven can be provocative, enlightened, and simplistic, but can also become lazy when a task becomes too demanding. they may be completely unaware of their laziness, love of comfort, and self-referencing action. being enthusiastic and visionary, they have a tendency to manipulate through enthusiasm. in relationship, SO type sevens may feel challenged when caught between their strong desire not to cause pain and their fear of commitment. they look for a kind of romantic love that is pure and perfect. unconsciously they may put themselves in an arrogant position of being purer than their partners, and then expecting the partner to evolve towards their perfection. they may also have difficulty navigating the deeper emotions stirred up by intimate relationship.

SX type 7 — suggestibility

the SX type seven is gluttonous for a higher world — optimistically seeing things as they could be in an imaginary reality. they are dreamers who have to create something better than stark, ordinary reality. their gluttony therefore expresses as a need to idealize. they are more interested in the things of a more highly advanced dimension. they are light-hearted enjoyers with a need to dream and to embellish the ordinary. as a result of this they can be very idealistic and naïve. the SX type seven tends to look at things with the optimism of somebody in love. taking refuge in this ideal, they avoid what is unpleasant in life. the SX type seven can also fall in love very intensely, relating to their world through dreaming and imagination. it is common for them to imagine an idealized situation and view it as real. they therefore have a tendency to be “too happy”. a need to live in a charmed reality — a world created in their mind rather than actual reality — predominates. this can be seen as an overcompensation that reflects an unconscious desire to deny or avoid the painful, boring, or frightening parts of life. they simply do not want to pay attention to anything bad or difficult.

for the SX type seven there was often a very painful experience in childhood, and they adopted a lightness as a defense against pain. as they are highly suggestible, they are prone to having their reality shaped by suggestion, fantasy, and illusion. they can be very trusting, seeing the world and people in overly positive terms. they also display a prevalence of thought and imagination over feeling and instinct.

SX type sevens like to talk a lot. they are verbose and excited by their own discourse, and their speech is characterized by wonderful ideas and possibilities. they may use ironic humor, which can be escapist, and they test limits through seduction and humor. they seek acceptance, appreciation, and recognition, manipulating through seduction. SX type sevens plan and improvise a great deal. they feel a need to mount successful strategies that ensure their pleasure. they can have a restless and anxious energy, which may manifest through multitasking. at times they may rebel through passive-aggression, relating to situations as they want them to be rather than dealing with the real world. SX type sevens see the world as a marketplace of outstanding opportunity, where the more you take, the more you can enjoy. they tend to be less focused on sex, being more interested in the essence of love. they fall in love very easily but are more interested in attaining an idealized ultimate connection. they often feel an attraction to spiritual and metaphysical experience as well as to extraordinary and esoteric things. earthly things take effort, whereas the mind works so easily and without friction or effort. comfort is therefore found in imagining rather than doing.

summarized and adapted from Beatrice Chestnut: The Complete Enneagram