Enneagram Type 7 - The

Enthusiast
Pleasure seekers and planners, in search of distraction

People of this personality type are

essentially concerned that their lives be an exciting adventure. Sevens are
future oriented, restless people who are generally convinced that something
better is just around the corner. They are quick thinkers who have a great
deal of energy and who make lots of plans. They tend to be extroverted,
multi-talented, creative and open minded. They are enthusiasts who enjoy
the pleasures of the senses and who don't believe in any form of self-denial.
Sevens are practical people who have multiple skills. They know how to
network and to promote themselves and their interests. They often have an
entrepreneurial spirit and are able to convey their enthusiasm to those with
whom they come in contact. When they are able to focus their talents, they
are often highly successful. Focusing does not always come easily for Sevens,
however. Their tendency to believe that something better awaits them, makes
them reluctant to narrow down their options or to pursue their aims with true
devotion.

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The central problem for Sevens is that their pursuit of pleasure is compulsive.
Sevens are fear types who are specifically afraid of the power of negative
states of mind. These they avoid by seeking distractions in the external
environment: by multi-tasking, by keeping their options open, by engaging in
stimulation seeking of all kinds. For this reason, Sevens are more prone than
most to addictions of all sorts, whether it be to shopping, gambling, drugs or
whatever.
Sevens usually have a high opinion of themselves and their talents; they tend
to focus on their strengths and virtues and to downplay their flaws and vices.
They are often a bit self-centered which manifests in an unfounded feeling of
entitlement. As Sevens don't want to confront their own darker emotions,
they also have difficulty acknowledging the pain that others experience, so
that they sometimes have a hard time seeing the reality of other people. The
extent of the Seven's flight from negative emotions is really a measure of the
Seven's mental health; the more that the Seven flees from them, the more
their strength grows and the more likely they are to erupt into consciousness
in the form of an anxiety disorder or a severe depressive episode.
As they are outward looking and not especially prone to introspection, it is
not uncommon for Sevens to mistype themselves. Sometimes they mistype as
Eights, as Sevens too can be domineering, especially if Eight is the dominant
wing. But Eights are not anxious and they lack the quick, mental energy that
is charateristic of the Seven. Sevens can easily mistype as Threes, but Threes
are much more single minded than Sevens and don't suffer from the desire to
keep all options open. Surprisingly, Sevens can mistype as Fours. When they
recognize the disparity between the optimistic, fun loving persona that they
project to the world and their own, often anxious internal mental states, they
can confuse their pain with the melancholia of type Four. Sevens are in flight
from this pain however, whereas Fours often cultivate their negative mental
states.

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TYPE SEVEN: THE EPICURE

Sevens have a fear of being deprived, of being in pain. They tend to be

lighthearted and sunny, often addicted to planning and play. Sevens are
buoyed by a belief that life is unlimited -- there are always interesting
things to do.
Sevens have a fear of being deprived, of being in pain. They tend to be
lighthearted and sunny, often addicted to planning and play. Sevens are
buoyed by a belief that life is unlimited -- there are always interesting
things to do.

Possible origins. Faced with a frightening early life, Seven children

diffused their fear by escaping into the limitless possibilities of
imagination. They have pleasant memories of their childhood years. Even
with an objectively bad scenario, there is little residue of hatred or blame.
The skew of attention is toward positive memory. By moving toward
pleasure and away from pain, they tend to remember the best.
Faced with a frightening early life, Seven children diffused their fear by
escaping into the limitless possibilities of imagination. They have pleasant
memories of their childhood years. Even with an objectively bad scenario,
there is little residue of hatred or blame. The skew of attention is toward
positive memory. By moving toward pleasure and away from pain, they
tend to remember the best.

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Flawed Sevens can allow their appetites to get out of control. This is
characterized by a bodily hunger for excitement and experience. Sevens
have a gourmet taste for experience, little tastes of the very best, rather
than an overdose of a single experience meal. Typically they cannot stand
inactivity. They stay active, but that activity is not necessarily productive:
it has a restless quality about it. They delight in making plans for the future
but are not good at following through on them.
As managers, they may introduce fascinating but conflicting options. They
don't like to give and enforce direct orders. They try to make everyone feel
like an equal participant in order to eliminate the possibility of
confrontation.
Well-Adapted Sevens get over their intense fear of being deprived. Instead
of consuming life, they learn to contemplate it, to plumb the depths of
experience rather than to merely skim its surface. They overcome their
wariness of others sufficiently to form, selectively, close and long-term
attachments. They stick with tasks and occupations long enough to do them
justice. Their enthusiasm and pleasure they take in what they do is
infectious. Sevens are sought after for their enthusiasm and vitality and for
their desire to share the enjoyment they feel.
They bring an optimism to their work, and once they get engaged they can
get a lot done and take contagious pleasure in their accomplishment. At
their best, they are highly productive generalists, talented in a variety of
areas. Precocious as children, they grow up to be especially intelligent and
multi-talented. They may settle successfully into roles in which they can
apply their abundant practical intelligence to executing short-run plans or

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exploring new territory.

Occupations. The entertainment field is filled with Sevens, both welladapted and flawed. Sevens are often editors, writers, or storytellers. As
managers, they are the jacks-of-all-trades, knowledgeable and skilled in a
number of areas. Because they learned at a young age to fend for
themselves, they are survivors who are good people to have around when
an organization is having trouble keeping its head above water. They are
planners and synthesizers and idea gatherers.
Finding Oneself:
Sevens will probably agree with most of the following statements:
1. I tend to make things interesting, to make things nice.
2. There are very few things in life which I can't enjoy.
3. I usually look on the bright side of things and don't look for the
negative side of life.
4. "I must be defective if I need help."
5. People say I'm often the life of the party.
6. I often feel stuck and bored with commitment -- I like to keep my
options open.
7. I tend to be very enthusiastic about the future.
8. I seem to be attached to youth and energy.

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9. Most of the time I avoid getting into really "heavy" issues.

10.I find myself expressing anger by making fun of the problem.

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The Adventurer (the Seven)

Adventurers are energetic, lively, and optimistic. They want to contribute to the world.
How to Get Along with Me

Give me companionship, affection, and freedom.

Engage with me in stimulating conversation and laughter.

Appreciate my grand visions and listen to my stories.

Don't try to change my style. Accept me the way I am.

Be responsible for youself. I dislike clingy or needy people.

Don't tell me what to do.

What I Like About Being a Seven

being optimistic and not letting life's troubles get me down

being spontaneous and free-spirited

being outspoken and outrageous. It's part of the fun.

being generous and trying to make the world a better place

having the guts to take risks and to try exciting adventures

having such varied interests and abilities

What's Hard About Being a Seven

not having enough time to do all the things I want

not completing things I start

not being able to profit from the benefits that come from specializing; not
making a commitment to a career

having a tendency to be ungrounded; getting lost in plans or fantasies

feeling confined when I'm in a one-to-one relationship

Sevens as Children Often

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are action oriented and adventuresome

drum up excitement

prefer being with other children to being alone

finesse their way around adults

dream of the freedom they'll have when they grow up

Sevens as Parents

are often enthusiastic and generous

want their children to be exposed to many adventures in life

may be too busy with their own activities to be attentive

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Dynamics of Type 7: Enthusiast

World View: The world is full of opportunity and options. I look
forward to the future.
Basic Desire: to be happy
Basic Fear: of being deprived

Healthy loop controlled by Basic Desire:

Need to be happy -> explore and appreciate world -> happy -> Need
to be happy
In the healthy state, the need to be happy induces Type Sevens to
explore the world and genuinely appreciate what they find. They

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derive great happiness as a result, thus their need is satisfied and a

balance is reached.
In the average state, when Sevens' are not exploring and
appreciating the world, they become restless and unhappy. The the
need to be happy increases, which helps Sevens to again reach out
to the world and find things to appreciate. Thus the balancing loop
can help Sevens to recover.
Unhealthy loop controlled by Basic Fear:
Fear of being being deprived -> numbly seek sensations -> happy ->
Fear of being being deprived
In the unhealthy state, the basic fear of being being deprived can
cause Type Sevens to numbly seek new and different sensations
and adventures without truly appreciating the experience. This
means they will derive little happiness from all the highs, which
further increases Sevens' feeling of emptiness and basic fear of
being deprived. The cycle continues to build up.
Insight:
We can see from the diagram that a way to help break the control of
the basic fear is to weaken the unhealthy loop. Sevens can refrain
from jumping into the next project, and appreciate more what they
experience. This will cause them to be more happy, and thus reduce
their fear of being being deprived.

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Enneagram Type 7: The Epicure

Lost essential quality: The full spectrum of possibilities experienced freely and
deeply through sustained concentration.
Compensating belief: The world limits and frustrates people, and causes pain that one
can escape from.
Attention/coping strategy: Planning for pleasurable, positive possibilities. Imagining and
engaging in appealing activities and experiences. Focusing attention on multiple
options and opportunities.
Trap: Keeping life up and idealized, believing one can avoid suffering.
Driving energy: Gluttony for interesting ideas and pleasurable experiences, now and
in the future.
Avoidance: Frustrations, constraints, limits, getting enmeshed in suffering.
Strengths: Playful, optimistic, inventive, life-loving.
Paradox: Seeking the positives of life and avoiding the dark side is limiting. Trying to
avoid pain creates pain.
Path of development:

Realize it is limiting to seek only the positive

Make and fulfill commitments

Simplify, live in the present moment

Learn to become more aware of others

Allow pain and uncomfortable emotions

Ultimate task: Recognizing the escapism in the pursuit of experience and idealized
future plans. Reclaiming and accepting all of life in the present moment: pain, fear
and limits as well as pleasure, joy and options.

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Type 7: The Epicure

Planning for possibilities
In what ways did new, interesting ideas come to mind? How did various positive
options and opportunities absorb my attention? My energy? How did I interrelate
and interconnect different ideas and action possibilities? How was I off in the
future, away from the present moment?
Basis: Sevens cannot tolerate limitation and restriction. Their strategy to keep life
up results in their focus of attention on positive options and opportunities.
Self-referencing
In what ways and how often did my attention go to what I wanted, felt or
thought? To my own positions and opinions? Did I tend to forget others feelings
or needs? How did I respond to whatever blocked my plans, ideas or actions? How
did I deal with these challenges or obstructions?
Basis: Keeping life up and positive requires focusing on your own plans and
desires. Attention, therefore, doesnt naturally go to others.
Reacting to pain or distress
Did I notice distress in others or myself? How did I react to negative events,
feelings or feedback? At what times would it have been natural to experience pain
or discomfort? How did I avoid distress or pain?
Basis: Sevens attention just doesnt go to pain or distress, which would undo the
basic coping strategy of keeping life up and boundless.

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The Basic Proposition

You lost sight of the fundamental principle that life is a full spectrum of
possibilities to be experienced freely and with sustained concentration, and came
to believe instead that the world limits you, frustrates you and causes you pain.
You learned to assure a good life and protect yourself from limitations, frustration
and pain by imagining options, opportunities and adventures. At the same time,
you became a glutton for positive possibilities and pleasures. Your attention
naturally goes to options and keeping life up.
The central issue for healing
The central issue for healing for Epicures may be more difficult to grasp than for
any other type, because you are asked to welcome in all of life as it exists in the
present moment fear, pain, suffering, boredom and limitation, as well as
pleasure, joy, excitement and options. In the process, you must reduce excess,
delay gratification, and take only what really is needed.
Epicures also must ask themselves to empathize with the entire spectrum of
experience in others and to care about the well-being of others as they would
their own. Yet for playful, adventuresome, future-oriented Epicures, who
habitually direct their outward-moving energy toward positive alternatives and
possibilities, this task of deepening, simplifying life and steadying their attention
in the here and now is just what is needed for wholeness.
Six healing and growth commitments for Type Sevens:

Reduce excess stimulation and mental futurizing

Ground in the present

Accept pain and suffering as part of your wholeness

Make and keep commitments and agreements with self and others

Pay attention to others desires and well-being in equal proportion to your

own

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Trust that the full spectrum of life and your deeper purpose includes the
darker side of life its pain, loss, suffering and limitations

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