Style Seven

Sevens are the eternal children of the Enneagram. They can have the healthy side: exuberance, joy, energy, optimism, creativity and curiosity. They are natural storytellers, entrepreneurs, animators and cheerleaders. When healthy they are the Renaissance people, displaying a wide range of interests and competencies. They are hard to keep down. They are resilient and resourceful.

But as they get unhealthy, they become childish instead of childlike. They don't control their appetites; they are easily addicted to pleasures of all kinds: sugar, alcohol, sex, excitement, novelty and variety. They don't stick to anything very long and can become fickle in relationships. They become trapped in a routine of change and end up with what they hate most -- boredom.

Sevens you may know: Robin Williams, Mozart, Barbra Streisand, John F. Kennedy, George W. Bush III, Richard Feynman, the physicist, Jay Leno, Babe Ruth, Magic Johnson and sportscaster Dick Vitale.

Recognizing Style Seven

  1. They may lack motivation unless they're in trouble.
  2. They may appear charming and in control. They're afraid.
  3. They may replace feeling with thinking, usually about the future.
  4. They may consider trivial things unduly important.
  5. They may find it difficult to focus.
  6. They may look much happier than they are. Inappropriate smiling.
  7. They may reframe pain into learning or redemption too quickly.
  8. They may have trouble staying in the present.
  9. They may have trouble acknowledging guilt.
  10. They may run away in a dazzling variety of ways.

How You Can Help

  1. Keep calling the Seven to the present time and place.
  2. Point out avoidance patterns.
  3. Remind them of their inner life. Sevens can be centrifugal.
  4. Decide on a form of prayer or meditation and stick to it.
  5. Keep spiritual exercises simple.
  6. Distinguish between inner authority and a faked superiority.
  7. Where is the order in their life? Symbolic order helps at times.
  8. Bodywork is helpful. Make sure they sustain it.
  9. Search for real feelings, don't buy quick thoughts.
  10. Direct them to social involvement. No glamour.