This article will take a look at the self preservation subtype of enneagram 7 as well as other instinctual variants that type 7s carry along the way despite the variation in their wings. Furthermore, the article will highlight some traits of the type 7 enneagram so the audience has a better understanding of the topic under discussion.
Enneagram Type 7s SP – A Guide To Self Preservation
They like to plan with their family and invest their time and energy here. These are the types of people who love to go on trips with their relatives, plan dinners or go out for meals and enjoy intimate family gatherings where everyone can sit back and relax and laugh together.
They are quite dependent on their family for love and support as well as keeping them company. They will often travel long distances to meet up with them. They will have some close friends who are just like family to them.
However, the type 7w6 enneagram can have issues with over stimulation; they may get carried away in all the merry and eat too much or stay up late and hence affect their health.
In this article, we will take a look at other subtypes of the type 7 enneagram and also explain what instinctual variants are. The article will also introduce the type 7 enneagram in detail to the audience.
Enneagram Type 7: The Enthusiast
These individuals are versatile and spontaneous! They have a lot of energy in them and they like to be in high spirits! However, by continuously working themselves out, they can get tired and become exhausted and hence lose focus. They will become distracted and lose track of the goal they had in mind. It is obvious then that they have problems with impulsiveness and impatience.
Overall, these individuals are joyful and cheerful and that is what they emanate when they are around others. At their best, they want to focus on worthy goals that use their talents and strengths.
These enneagrams have been called enthusiasts because of the energy with which they approach the things in life that catch their eyes! They are like children who have a lot of energy, optimism and curiosity about the things that seem interesting to them. Furthermore, they are intelligent not in the sense of academics but in a way that they can process a lot of information and hence brainstorm in an effective manner.
However, their ability to read and process much information and hence learn new skills can sometimes confuse them about what they are actually meant to do in life!
People with this personality type are hence energetic and always looking to have some fun in life. They are the ones who will grab you by the arm and engage you in fun activities. They are that friend who is always looking forward to trying something new! They have a form of energy that is rare to find but uplifting. People who are type 7s are always trying to pull their friends into their adventures because they believe the more the merrier!
Basic Fear
The basic fear of this enneagram type is to be in pain. They absolutely hate pain and they do not want to be deprived in any manner. They will avoid situations where they might get hurt emotionally or physically because they do not want to deal with the experience or feeling of pain. However, because of this fear, they often miss out on worthwhile experiences.
If you’re facing this, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or other mental health professional. You can find a therapist at BetterHelp who can help you learn how to cope and address it.
However their fear of missing out does encourage them to take up routines that are not too structured and allow for last minute plans. They may even be unable to focus much on the task at hand because they are looking for a more interesting experience – one that will make them let go of what they are doing and scramble outside for some fun!
Hence, people with this personality type will always grab the opportunities they come across and will fit it into their timetable somehow because like said, they are scared of missing out!
Basic Desire
To be satisfied and fulfilled or content is the desire of this enneagram type 7. They want to feel complete and whole so that they do not have to rely on anyone else for their needs. It is also linked to their fear of being in pain and deprived. Hence, they strive to fulfill their needs in an independent manner and wish to be in a state that renders them safe.
At the same time, they do not want to miss out on joyful, stimulating and awesome experiences from life! They want to be part of the fun and seek excitement and joy from what they are doing. They want to feel happy and this leads them to oftentime justify or rationalize their negative feelings in a way that they are responsible for how they feel – even if it isn’t their own fault!
So if you have a friend with this personality type, you can count on them to make sure the both of you never miss an awesome party!
What Are Instinctual Variants?
In order to survive and thrive human beings have generally developed three types of behaviours that allow them to respond to threats, socialize with others and form close relationships with people – these are known as self preservation, social, and one to one behaviours respectively.
These behaviours are defined by subtypes and there are a total of 27 subtypes which means that each enneagram has 3 subtypes in total just like the type 7 enneagram which we highlighted above.
We have subtypes because they allow us to react to different situations immediately with little awareness and effort – this allows us to deal with various situations without putting too much thought and effort into it. Hence, we as individuals may behave differently in different situations but generally in the same manner across a wider continuum.
Some people see their primary subtype quite quickly, while for others it’s a matter of study over time. Those who know us well may offer some useful feedback, since we don’t always see ourselves objectively.
In this article, we will take a look at the subtypes of the type 7 enneagram in detail!
The Instinctual Variants Of The Type 7w6 Enneagram
Let us take a look at the other 2 subtypes of this enneagram one by one
Social: Limitation/Sacrifice – The Utopian Visionary
This is an interesting behavior to note because the type 7w6 may have to choose a middle ground when it comes to interacting with others. This is because at one end they want to have fun and let go and this may transgress on the rights of others or simply their comfort level while on the other hand the type 7w6 does not allow people to achieve the social idealism they desire.
They will have to stick with groups and respect as well as uphold their values and limit their own desires to forward the greater good for the sake of the community.
One-to-One: Suggestibility/Fascination – The Adventurer
Suggestibility works both ways. This subtype can be influenced easily by the attraction of new ideas, adventures and people, falling into a state of fascination or entertainment. The one-to-one Seven also has great powers of suggestion, and can use personal charm to lead people into a new paradigm, a new purchase or a new relationship.
Type 7s – Unhealthy Behaviours
Instinctual variants help enneagrams regulate their behavior and take advantage of the situation they are in. However, sometimes stress overtakes them and they behave in an unhealthy way.
When in stress, the type 7 enneagram disintegrates into an inflexible type 1 enneagram which is intolerant and holds people to extremely high standards. The type 7 enneagram under stress will behave in a similar manner and also lose the ability to see other’s perspectives and only view the world from an ethnocentric one where what they do or believe in is only right!
This enneagram becomes offensive towards others in the sense that they say what they feel like saying without taking into account the other person’s feelings because they know what is best. Furthermore, they believe that they know what is best and hence have the right to tell people what to do and how. The stress really gets to their head and this is one of the ways they deal with it – they think they know what is best and hence have the responsibility of ensuring good things happen in the world.
Here are some of the traits or behaviours they exhibit when they go into stress:
- Demeaning
- Depressed
- Quiet or Talkative
- Perfectionistic
- Inflexible
Conclusion
This article took a look at the type 7 enneagram and their self preservation as well as other subtypes. The article also shone light on what instinctual variants are and what happens when the type 7 enneagram goes into stress.
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