Type 7, The Enthusiast
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Triad (Corner):     Head (thinking) <BR>
Core Issue:          Fear, anxiety<BR>
Personality runs on:      Frustration<BR>
Values:       Positive Outlook<BR>
Style:    Aggressive<BR>
Passion:    Gluttony (for experiences and mental stimulation) <BR>
Virtue:    Sobriety – “I have enough.” <BR>
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<B>Description:</B> Sevens are upbeat and energetic, and have minds that don’t quit.  The Seven mind is always busy making connections between different ideas, which can make them seem scattered, but also funny and entertaining. Sevens are good at brainstorming new ideas and beginning new projects, but can have trouble with followthrough. In average levels of health, Sevens can seem ADD and manic, and many sevens get asked if they have been diagnosed with these disorders. While sevens like to live in the world of ideas, they also like to implement those ideas in practical ways.

Sevens are highly extroverted and focus virtually all their attention at the world around them. They like to keep moving, and woe unto the person who gets in their way. Sevens are easily frustrated by others who can’t keep up, and by the world itself with all it’s pain and imperfections. Because sevens are quick learners, they tend to study one thing for a while and then move on before things get too difficult or boring. This gets to be a problem when they can’t ever decide what they want to be when they grow up.

Sevens are often thought of as shallow and pain avoidant, but this isn’t quite accurate. When fixated, all types are equally shallow, and all types try to avoid pain. Average sevens are impatient with pain. They are very sensitive and feel their pain very strongly, and just want it to go away so they can move on. The seven basic fear is that they will be trapped in pain. Sevens tend to have a high tolerance for physical pain, but little tolerance for emotional pain. Sevens are an aggressive type, and as such, don’t have a strong connection to their heart energy.

Under stress, the idealistic seven can become critical and perfectionistic, like average level Type 1. This type who is usually guilty of “excessive happiness” can become absolutely miserable to be around, launching into critical tirades that can wound everyone around them. On the positive side of the connection to 1, being at 1 narrows the worldview of the seven down to their immediate surroundings, and sevens do what needs to be done to improve their own little world, rather than trying to fix all the problems in the whole world.

When relaxed and healthy, sevens start to accept reality the way it is, start to believe that they have enough of everything, and can gradually let go of the need for constant stimulation. They learn to develop their inner lives. At their best Sevens focus their energies and bring projects to completion, like a healthy 5.


<B>Examples of this type:</B> Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, Carol Burnett, Lucille Ball, Geraldo Rivera, Larry King, Craig Ferguson, JFK, Anita Roddick (Body Shop), Steven Spielberg, Peter Pan, Leonardo DaVinci, Optimists International, Brazil, the Renaissance Person, enneagram author Michael Goldberg.


<B>An exercise for Type 7: </B>Find a way to get out of your head and to stop living in your future plans. Do Tai Chi and really be present and feel your body. Or take a walk and feel the air moving in and out of your lungs. Breathe deeply into your belly and into your heart space. Smell the flowers and trees, or the dust. Look at what is around you right now. Be with the experience that you are living right now.

One of the simplest ways to learn to turn off the spinning mind, is also one of the most difficult for sevens, who like to stay in motion. It is called mindfulness meditation: Sit quietly and notice your breath. Notice where your mind goes. Stop the thoughts and focus on your breath. After a time you will learn to turn off the spinning of the mind and be with your present experience.