Self Preservation 7 (A 3 point Guide)

This article will explain how a self preservation 7 behaves and also introduce this enneagram along with its fears and desires so the readers have a complete understanding of the topic with enough background context.

Self Preservation 7s – What Are They Like?

The self preservation 7 has the following habits or traits:

• Keep Strong Networks
• Emphasize Planning
• Take Calculated Risks
• Not As Brave As They look
• Thrifty

Just like their wings, the type 7 enneagram has the above behaviours when they are in self preservation mode!

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!

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.

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!

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.

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!

Self Preservation 7s – What Are They Like?

The self preservation 7 has the following habits or traits:

• Keep Strong Networks
• Emphasize Planning
• Take Calculated Risks
• Not As Brave As They look
• Thrifty

We will look at these in detail below now!

Keep Strong Networks

By strong networks, we mean people who share the interest, values and beliefs of the 7 enneagram as well as those people who have access to resources such as specific types of people, money, experiences and opportunities. There are a number of reasons for this.

Firstly, the 7 enneagram likes to try out new things and does not want to miss out on any opportunities. They want to enjoy life and what it has to offer hence they will ensure they have access to these experiences in one way or the other. One of those ways is to have those types of people around them who share the same desires and will let them join in!

Also, this enneagram type does not want to miss out on life because of other people constantly judging them. They want to be around people who understand their desires and interests and encourage them instead of eyeing what they are doing and raise questions about their behavior.

Hence, the self preservation 7 will keep backup in the form of strong networks so they can ensure they will be able to have fun when they want to and not miss out on anything. This helps them reduce any risks associated with missing opportunities.

Emphasize Planning

This form of the 7 enneagram emphasizes planning not because they are the typical perfectionist who wants everything to be organized but because they want to ensure they have everything done before time or on time so in case an opportunity shows up that they want to avail. Having everything planned makes it easier for them to ensure they can shift things here or there seeing empty slots in their schedule!

By having an emphasis on planning, they seem to be quite organized and aware of their work. They thus feel in more control of their routines and sense that they have the capacity to inculcate more activities into their routine.

Take Calculated Risks

Yes, this form of the 7 enneagram is all okay with taking risks but these risks are always calculated. Imagine a person going skydiving but has a net at the bottom of the drop – crazy but that is how this is for the 7 enneagram!

They will want to try out new things but ensure they have a way of saving themself at the end in case something goes wrong or not according to their well crafted plan!

This is because they are in self preservation mode and even though they still feel like taking the risks and trying out new things, their main priority is to keep themself safe no matter what and try everything to minimize the risks.

Not As Brave As They Look

Despite all the risks they take and the planning they do that is enthralled with their confidence, the 7 enneagram is not as brave as they seem. They act all tough and sure of what they are going to do but deep inside they can feel their heart being tugged at constantly because they are scared. Also, deep down, they are aware of the fact that they will never go as far as truly putting themself to the test – they will forever stay in the safe zone!

Thrifty

Another interesting trait that this enneagram has in self preservation mode is that they are thrifty – they spend very carefully to the extent that they may actually appear stingy! 

As a result of being in the ‘safe mode’, they want to be careful with their money too because with money there are opportunities and of course without it there aren’t as many! Hence, they will spend less and try to save as much as they can. It is just a reaction to their risk averse behaviour they have adopted!

Conclusion

This article took a look at the self preservation 7 enneagram and discussed the traits it exhibits. The article also highlighted this enneagram’s fears and desires and introduced it in detail to the readers.

References

Enneagram Central – Subtype Seven Self Preservation