More Than Just Fun: Type 7 Subtypes
I’m fortunate to have taken a training on Instincts & Subtypes with Peter O’Hanrahan. He shared theories on how we develop a dominant instinct for either Self-preservation, Social belonging, or One-on-one relating. Said theories exceed the scope of this post, but Peter used a poignant metaphor I’d like to adopt—a 3 legged stool. He spoke of one’s dominant instinct as a “short leg” that throws the stool off balance. The key is to balance the stool by evening out these 3 legs—but how?
The first step is to know your Subtype, a.k.a your dominant instinct, so you can “check” the tendency to invest more energy in that instinctual arena. If you don't do this, you're pretty much sunk as far as working with these instincts (at least from my somewhat opinionated point of view).
Once you've learned to “check” the instinct you rely on most heavily/automatically, some energy starts getting “freed up.” Now you can redistribute that energy towards the other two instincts. I like to think of this as juicing up the secondary and tertiary instincts by “using them on purpose” - making conscious efforts to go forth and relate to the world through them.
With this in mind, let’s explore the subtype energies as they manifest for Enneagram Type 7s:
If you are an Enneagram 7, it can benefit you to understand how your positivity, vivid imagination, quick thinking, pleasure seeking, pain-avoidance, reframing, and literally ALL components of your type structure get channeled primarily through a particular instinctual drive!
Where are your heightened energy and drive for pleasure “aimed?”
Are they aimed at keeping pleasure nearby, finding physical/material satisfaction, and seeking high times through hosting parties or “family style” gatherings?
Are they aimed at infusing your enthusiastic energy into group settings, providing service to alleviate the suffering of others, and “enjoying the enjoyment” of those around you?
Or are they aimed at endless adventuring, riding the roller coaster of life, and generally seeking to obtain the newest, boldest, most exciting experiences that the world has to offer?
These are three very different ways of “living out” the Type 7 passion of Gluttony. Your Subtype not only affects how others perceive/experience your “Seven-ness,” but also the kind of self-work that will be most effective for you (and your specific expression of the type). Let’s dive a bit deeper:
Self-Preservation 7: Keeper of the Castle
These are the “homey” 7s. Their gluttony can express without them having to go very far. They keep sources of pleasure close by, “stacking the deck” so joy/stimulation are easily accessible and always abundant. They often surround themselves with material pleasures: beautiful art, interesting reading, varied and colorful trinkets — whatever makes them feel their home is full of fun. These 7s may also “keep close” those people who bring joy into their lives and keep things flowing smoothly so that they’re never in pain. They are excellent at utilizing their resources, and seizing opportunities. There can be a “quid pro quo” tone to their style of obtaining satisfaction. If you’re willing to help them keep their lives upbeat and pain-free, these 7s will almost certainly go the extra mile for you. They are the truest embodiment of epicurean tendencies—SP 7s love “family style gatherings” where food, drink, and lively conversation can be enjoyed with the people they love. They share joy with others through an “eat, drink, and be merry” mentality.
Social 7: Sacrifice
These are the “service-oriented” 7s. They use their skills for big-picture thinking and “grand envisioning” to paint a vision of an ideal future—and then share that vision with the groups/institutions they serve. In Social 7s we see a somewhat counter-intuitive strategy for feeding gluttony: they give pleasure up. In a sense, they are “gluttons for the joy of others.” They infuse the scenery with upbeat positivity and enthusiasm to enliven the group, and then feed off the happiness they have inspired in others. They get their “hit” of joy secondarily. Ultimately, Social 7s still have their own pleasure in mind, but they leave it for last (so others can get their fill first). This is the best of both worlds: they can dive in and polish off whatever is left once their friends, loved ones, and colleagues already have “full bellies and happy hearts.” They fight against their voracious appetite on the front end, and then give in to it on the back end. Bottom line: these 7s know something about feeling good, and inspiring that feeling in others is a natural skill.
One-to-One 7: Suggestibility/Fascination
These are the “seeking” 7s. They go far and wide to pursue pleasure. They’re the true adventurers, with a fierce dedication to thrill-seeking and world traveling. They are also the prototypical “energizers,” who love a heightened atmosphere: high-stimulation, high-speed, high-enthusiasm. They may have a face-splitting grin. Sometimes it can almost seem like they have too much “pep in their step.” Others can barely keep up. The “directness and intensity” of the One-on-one instinct, crossed with Type 7 energy, leads to a “direct and intense search” for experiences that are pleasurable, exciting, and NEW. Novelty is high priority. And their One-on-one relating must either be high stimulation, or at least allow for high stimulation. If a partner doesn't want to join in on all the thrill seeking and far-flung adventuring, they'll need to be okay with the fact that these 7s still want to do all of that without them. But after striking out on their own for a weeks-long roundabout of some other continent, One-on-one 7s are usually delighted to come home to a partner who eagerly awaits their tales of adventure.
To explore more about Type 7, join us at our next monthly workshop! You can see all of our upcoming events here. You can also work one-on-one with us by emailing us here.
*Shoutout to the Enneagram masters: I owe my understanding of Instinctual Subtypes to a long list of authors and teachers, but extra special credit goes to Peter O’Hanrahan, Helen Palmer, Beatrice Chesnut, and Ginger Lapid-Bogda