TYPE SEVEN: THE EPICURE
Sevens have a fear of being deprived, of being in pain. They tend to be lighthearted and sunny, often addicted to planning and play. Sevens are buoyed by a belief that life is unlimited -- there are always interesting things to do.
Possible origins. Faced with a frightening early life, Seven children diffused their fear by escaping into the limitless possibilities of imagination. They have pleasant memories of their childhood years. Even with an objectively bad scenario, there is little residue of hatred or blame. The skew of attention is toward positive memory. By moving toward pleasure and away from pain, they tend to remember the best.
Flawed Sevens can allow their appetites to get out of control. This is characterized by a bodily hunger for excitement and experience. Sevens have a gourmet taste for experience, little tastes of the very best, rather than an overdose of a single experience meal. Typically they cannot stand inactivity. They stay active, but that activity is not necessarily productive: it has a restless quality about it. They delight in making plans for the future but are not good at following through on them. As managers, they may introduce fascinating but conflicting options. They don't like to give and enforce direct orders. They try to make everyone feel like an equal participant in order to eliminate the possibility of confrontation.
Well-Adapted Sevens get over their intense fear of being deprived. Instead of consuming life, they learn to contemplate it, to plumb the depths of experience rather than to merely skim its surface. They overcome their wariness of others sufficiently to form, selectively, close and long-term attachments. They stick with tasks and occupations long enough to do them justice. Their enthusiasm and pleasure they take in what they do is infectious. Sevens are sought after for their enthusiasm and vitality and for their desire to share the enjoyment they feel.
They bring an optimism to their work, and once they get engaged they can get a lot done and take contagious pleasure in their accomplishment. At their best, they are highly productive generalists, talented in a variety of areas. Precocious as children, they grow up to be especially intelligent and multi-talented. They may settle successfully into roles in which they can apply their abundant practical intelligence to executing short-run plans or exploring new territory.
Occupations. The entertainment field is filled with Sevens, both well-adapted and flawed. Sevens are often editors, writers, or storytellers. As managers, they are the jacks-of-all-trades, knowledgeable and skilled in a number of areas. Because they learned at a young age to fend for themselves, they are survivors who are good people to have around when an organization is having trouble keeping its head above water. They are planners and synthesizers and idea gatherers.
Finding Oneself:Sevens will probably agree with most of the following statements:
I tend to make things interesting, to make things nice.
There are very few things in life which I can't enjoy.
I usually look on the bright side of things and don't look for the negative side of life.
"I must be defective if I need help."
People say I'm often the life of the party.
I often feel stuck and bored with commitment -- I like to keep my options open.
I tend to be very enthusiastic about the future.
I seem to be attached to youth and energy.
Most of the time I avoid getting into really "heavy" issues.
I find myself expressing anger by making fun of the problem.
| Type: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 65% | 58% | 63% | 45% | 55% | 58% | 78% | 75% | 68% |
