Self-Preservation 7 In Detail

Gluttony in the Preservation Sphere

The Gluttony in the SP7 is the closest to the literal definition of it. The passion of Gluttony twists as a hunger for tastes of anything that seems to promise survival, this can be ideas, plans, theories, experiences, and because of this they make make alliances and create opportunities to gain advantage, banding together and taking care of others who they feel an affinity or connection with. They are alert to any possibility that will ensure survival and satisfaction, hence the need to band with others who have similar interests. Their love for pleasure causes them to be the most impulsive and physical of the 7s, often impulsively going after what they want and often getting it.

Ichazo called SP7 "Defenders", people who have a need to band with others who have similar interests^[1], having a passion for inclusion that leads to relationships of mutual protection.^[2] Naranjo called the preservative gluttons as people who want the good things life has to offer, starting with maternal love, warmth of family, money, sex, but all in the context of a passion for inclusion.^[2]

The following Trait Structure are a summarized description of the original descriptions taken from the Enneagram 7 book/  Golosos, tramposos, soñadores y charlatanes. The Book was written by devoted followers and students of Claudio Naranjo but published under his name and supervised by him.

Trait Structure^[3]

Bon Vivant

As an expression of a life dedicated to hedonism, this character has the facility to feel good and to feel that everything is fine, to seek pleasant terrain for himself and for others. His image is usually neat, elitist, friendly, in polite ways, with which he reinforces the power of his seduction. He likes to drag others into what he considers a good life: he wants them to have fun with him. This is the nicest aspect of your handling, as well as a way to keep the image narcissistic.

Ironic, Cynical, and Sarcastic

The conservation E7 usually has a great sense of humor; have fun and laugh. He laughs happily about almost everything; when it comes to laughter, nothing is sacred. The problem is that the sense of humor is put at the service of contempt for the interlocutor, with what is put above, in a clear display of narcissism.

He is irreverent, arrogant, mentally aggressive, and in this way he expresses his rage, almost as an alternative to physical aggression, since he does not allow it. He is able to put his finger on the sore spot with every word. He also knows how to laugh at himself, thus distancing himself from his true emotions.

But above all, he is not afraid of others, which prevents him from taking them seriously. Etymologically, “irony” has to do with dissimulating and playing dumb; “cynicism,” with behaving like a dog; “sarcasm,” with cutting or biting a piece of meat. All this refers to a disguised sadistic behavior and a tendency to mistreat trying to appear cordial.

Fear of suffering

The mantra of a conservation E7 might be: “First of all, avoid being uncomfortable.” There is in this an anesthetic behavior in the face of suffering, a need to disconnect from the harshness of life in order to maintain the fiction that the “childhood paradise” has not been lost. He despises suffering as a thing for “unintelligent” people and, deep down, underlies an enormous fear of returning to the deprived place of childhood, in which he experienced a strong sense of threat to conservation.

Entitlement

As an extension of his narcissism, we can cite entitlement: a feeling of superiority rights because of his talent and personal charm. It's subtle: the attitude of the E7 in a love relationship is different from that of those who go through life important and assume a role of authority. In this case, it is of a more subtle importance: it is not that he expects to be obeyed, but to be heard and recognized as a person who is in the know. The man may expect the woman to be his audience; the same happens with a father regarding his son. Correlative to the charlatan's need to be heard is, naturally, his inability to hear, although he may not be aware of this himself, since he offers great empathy through an attentive “countenance.”

Insatiability and Envy

A fundamental polarity in this character, is the opposition between the greedy insatiability, in the foreground, and the fear of lack, which is denied.

Although it seems contradictory to the oral optimism of the E7, the conservation E7 tends to compare himself and, therefore, to feel, unconsciously, envy. Who compares, suffers. And although, unlike E4, there is a strong tendency to overcompensation that turns envy into insatiability, the background sensation of lack and disadvantage is common, probably due to having felt excluded or disadvantaged in childhood, which explains the voracity in their relationships and the aggressiveness with which they take on the world. Feeling that his starting conditions are less advantageous, he tells myself that he needs more and more to catch up or win.

Excessive and Aggressive

This measurement and comparison causes stress and anguish, and is a source of compulsive behavior and all kinds of excesses. “Just as the miser does not want to part with something that he feels is precisely scarce, the greedy person distracts himself in abundance: faced with the fear of lack.” Excessiveness is the door to dispersion and, therefore, an inexhaustible source of problems for this character.

The greater the gluttony, the greater the orientation to compare, and the greater the contact with the feeling of insatiability, thus creating a feedback loop that lays the groundwork for the usual manic co-depressive phases that this character usually goes through.

It is usual for the E7 to retain a certain degree of aggressiveness and a tendency to possessiveness, seizure and even looting, which sometimes leads to confusion with the E8 character. They are tendencies related to their disposition: narcissism and impulsiveness, acting before reflecting, risking everything to an art and, in general, a counterphobic attitude, even psychopathic.

Utilitarian and Strategist

A good friend of the powerful, an effective propagandist, a highly perceptive planner and strategist, the conservation E7 usually surrounds himself with people with the ability not only to help him, but to make him prosper and carry out his projects and ideas. His utilitarianism occurs in personal accounts, and could be defined as a feeling that friendship is only worth cultivating if the friend is useful to his plans or interests, or if he finds it suggestive enough.

He usually deals with information, and uses strategies and tactics to position himself comfortably. Look for ways to get what you want without asking directly and, above all, without counting on others. And he is accustomed to making his responsibilities lighter by allowing others to deal with them, charging them to such, in order to reach pleasure earlier.

Impatience and Boredom

He suffers predisposition and intolerance to boredom, allergy to everyday life and routines. You need constant stimuli and new or extraordinary experiences, to the detriment of feeling pleasure in everyday life. As background, a difficulty to connect with the emotion that causes a feeling of dryness in life.

Obligation and responsibility, predisposed to flight or abandonment, no: there is a desire to return to pleasure and freedom as soon as possible. It is also difficult for him to contact the slowness, that is, with the natural flow of life, which is constantly forced, accelerated by the planning ego, so as not to contact what is there, so as not to feel. Difficulty sustaining frustration and giving space to emotions, immediacy and constantly accelerating walking (antagonistic to the harmony of natural rhythms) are tools to avoid coming into contact with anguish and other unpleasant emotions.

Insubordinate and Rebellious

The feeling is that accepting limits creates suffering. The authority has to demonstrate its reasons or logic, so it ceases to be an authority: internally, the conservation E7 underestimates and disqualifies it, despising and disobeying it. There is a fundamental distortion: “accepting the authority of others limits my personal autonomy.”

He has a narcissistic taste in presenting himself as a rebel, while avoiding direct confrontation with authority, to that: dodges or seduces, thus avoiding the consequences that entails would contradict him.

Indiscipline and procrastination are inextricably linked to insubordination and rebellion. As a background, the invalidation of the father in childhood is the engine of the invalidation of all other authority, always identified as repressive or imposing. The limited capacity for self-criticism further contributes to this scenario: there is difficulty in repenting, as well as little tolerance for criticism from others. All this, reinforced by its aggressive mentality and its tendency to be elusive.

Egotistic and Individualistic

The absolute priority is to satisfy one's own desires, with the feeling that others have to adapt to their times and needs. In the conservation E7, narcissism has a lot to do with objectifying others.

There is a difficulty in seeing the wife as an entity separate from her own ends of exchange, especially the couple as another separate from her interests and desires. The rest of the people, those who do not belong to their own circle of trust, can be seen as a limit or a hindrance to their plans (or, simply, they are not seen).

The inner feeling is that of a need for self-preservation. The crazy idea that “I can handle everything, I don't need anyone” contributes to this scenario. And as background, search for immediate pleasure without assessing the consequences for those around him. There is also the crazy idea that giving oneself emotionally makes one gregarious and makes one lose independence, as well as stop being “special” or “unique.”

Prone to corruption

Not even for some representatives of this character does this descriptor sound too strong, we can subject the term “corruption” to a process of euphemization (typical of this character) and go on to call “the tendency to take legal shortcuts” or to interpret the laws as indicative instead of to respect its mandatory compliance. Underlies the light attitude towards life typical of all E7, and especially the conservation E7.

“If one does not believe in anything, if one implicitly thinks that the authority is useless, that the system is corrupt, then one must do what is best for oneself. And with a lot of people like that, it's impossible for the community to function. When Socrates was offered to flee, he preferred to give his life as an example of support for the ideal of democracy, to strengthen faith in the idea that the people can govern themselves; that, even if he is wrong, one can in principle arrive at a system in which wisdom prevails. How far we are today from that attitude!”

What would have done, instead of Socrates, a conservation E7?

Fraudulent and Charlatan

This character uses any available resource to achieve an end, both words and actions. Some of the most used resources are lying, stealing, confusing others, cheating, intriguing others…

He has his own morality where benefits are imposed on acts or, in other words, he does not pay attention to the means to achieve certain goals: purposes. For this, there must be a high degree of self-indulgence, own laws, personal interpretations of good and evil; and, as they are laws of their own, they can change so as not to sustain states of guilt, to adapt to each moment according to the greedy need that arises. Added to this is his great ability to arrogate merits that do not correspond to him, a strong desire for protagonism and a frequent imposition, mythomania and fantastic pseudology, especially in the intellectual field.

The conservation E7 has become an expert at getting what he wants without asking for it. His basic conception is that things are not achieved by asking for them: either they take them, or they cheat or speculate to obtain them. You believe that asking puts you in a vulnerable position and brings you closer to pain and frustration. There is in it, again, a disregard of the other. The childhood experience of loneliness, isolation, abandonment, and survival contributes to promoting this scenario.

Schizoid austerity vs. Seductive waste

At times, the E7 conservation shows a simplicity bordering on the greed of the E5. It tends to have a great deal of control over the economy and go, as well as a constant calculation of costs and benefits. He attaches great importance to money, and feels dizzy when he sees himself in financial trouble. But his difficulty in spending is tempered by a great facility to invest, to do “business,” sometimes a hint of megalomania. His practical sense permeates everything: he does not want to complicate his life and tries to avoid everything that could be a source of displeasure. In the background, there is a great ski fear mile to deprivation.

On the other hand, everything said is invalidated when, in his manic state, he pursues his objects of desire. Then he can be foully wasteful, throw the house out the window, commit... Nothing will be enough until he reaches the object of his gluttony. Again, this behavior has a lot to do with his bipolar tendency.

Dryness

The intense mental life causes a physical disembodiment and a semiotic embodiment, bodily and emotional dissociation where life is confused with words and speeches. Impervious to pain makes you less permeable to emotions. There is a great fear of vulnerability that deprives you of being receptive. In the background of so much excitement and noise of thoughts and words, there is a frozen emotional world and the experience of a nuclear coldness. In the background, we find the schizoid origin of this character. At the same time, the difficulty with admiring love, with the spontaneous wonder at creation, complicates this panorama. Consequently, his attitude is more openly pseudo-social or even antisocial than in the other subtypes of E7.

Sometimes he devotes himself to work to the point of becoming a worker, all based on his manic or depressive mood. After moments of excessive workload, usually getting sick or going into periods of depression or nervous breakdown. It is very difficult for him to trust the relationship, and it usually takes a long time to establish deep bonds (when they are allowed), which can quickly mutate a couple relationship from one first phase of strong seduction to another of great emotional dryness, testing the patience of the other or another.

Untrustful and Skeptical

He feels distrust in the flow of life. He questions everything and has a certain degree of anger with life, little manifested. Basically, it underlies the difficulty of character for devotional love and recognizing the other. Similar to the E1, in the feeling that others are not trustworthy, that people are imperfect, but without taking the trouble to try to correct others, conservation E7 isolates itself from the world in its particular garden: that of the “family” or the feeling of involvement with a network to link, as a defense against a life that it understands as chaos and that reinforces its idea that pleasure and non-stop are the only possible escape routes.

In addition, in someone who is a profiteer and lacks a broad sense of community, it is logical that there is mistrust. He thinks that everyone acts like him and that, since there is no law that is worth it, everyone will act with the same contempt for the rules. When he leaves aside for a moment his manic tendency to worldly pleasures, a nihilistic background appears: he narcissistic balloon is deflated, the schizoid background becomes clear, and disbelief and basic distrust of life appears even more strongly.

Stubborn and Earthly

Beyond the tendency of all E7 to procrastinate, the conservation E7 often demonstrates tenacity in overcoming obstacles and standing up to adversity based on nerve, will, and fury. An irrational idea underlies: “I can handle everything.”

He has an obsession with being efficient, with obtaining the maximum rewards with minimal effort. His mental agility helps him in this and his capacity for strategy.

Combat is split halfway between mental activity and physical action. He likes to feel that he is in control of the situation, which not only reinforces his narcissism, but it also helps to drain the anguish.

His tenacity can lead to disconnection from the body and its emotional needs, in addition, is the most realistic variety of the E7, with a great predisposition towards skepticism, the material and the earthly fruit of self-preservation. All this, in relation to its utilitarianism and advantage in social relations. He doesn't behave like an idealist, but rather as someone disappointed with the ideals, a pseudo-idealist or even an anti-idealist. He believes that by organizing himself well he will be able to avoid the return of deficient states experienced in his childhood, and with this he tries to annul the feeling of threat to conservation.

Claudio Naranjo's Self-Preservation 7 Description^[4]

E7 Conservation (Self-Preservation) – Family

It is usually easier to recognize a sexual or social seven than a conservation seven. To refer to him, Ichazo used the phrase „the guardian of the castle”. He also uses the word „castle” for the five conservation — I preferred to use the word refuge, lair. But what is the meaning of the phrase „the guardian of the castle”?

The E7 conservation is the person who makes alliances. Family could be an alternative word. But not in the true sense of the term, which is full of positive connotations. The word family describes an aspect of life. But, in the specialized vocabulary about the ego, there is a kind of family game that can be played. In it, the seven conservation build relationships with people based on ideas such as: „I will be family to you and I demand that you be family to me”, „let's get together, I will serve you and you will serve me”, „together, we can create a good mafia together”...

I drop the word smuggling because this type of behavior can lead to cunning. It is a clear partisanship. There is an element of corruption very present in it. Self-interest, selfishness, is behind this alliance, even if it appears to be denied. Naturally, every ego form relies on a lie that makes it appear that it is not there. That is why confession is so good, so interesting for the work of the conscience — especially when the confession is public, because that is how one realizes that one can go on with everything, remain the same.

So the conservation E7 is the opportunist, the person who has to find advantages, to profit. It is as if a threat to conservation hangs over him that has to be compensated. Therefore, gluttony, in this case, is expressed as an excessive concern to get out of this threat to conservation by making good deals and deals with every opportunity.

A friend of mine was a dentist for part of his life. He seemed like a kind, friendly, talkative person. Some are very fond of the dental profession because they have each other's mouths shut all the time, so they can talk and talk as much as they want. Surely you have met very talkative dentists. They may not realize it - unconsciousness plays tricks. And it is typical of the seven conservation groups that they like to do something with their hands, something useful for others. They are practical.

Talking and talking, the seven conservation soon discovers the other person's weaknesses. „I have seen that you have bought a new car, how are you doing?”, Says the dentist, „Well, it is an excellent car, I am very happy with it” – answers the patient – „but unfortunately I have to sell it”. „Ah, well” – the dentist takes advantage of it – „then I'll buy it for you!”

It seems that with the seven conservation there is no conversation that does not lead to business. You do instant business because your mind is so alert to opportunity that you never miss it. His position is that of one who thinks that if you are not alert, if you do not keep your nose in contact with the wind to capture opportunities, you will be a loser.

Sandra Maitri's Self-Preservation 7 Description^[5]

7+Self-Preservation – Family

Naranjo originally used the term family for Self-preservation Seven. Ichazo’s term, defenders, captures a different nuance of the same style: Self-preservation Sevens try to assure their survival through banding together and taking care of others who they feel an affinity or connection with. They become patriarchs, taking care of their extended family. Self-preservation Sevens share the amicability of their Six neighbors, appearing magnanimous, supportive, and fatherly. The passion of gluttony appears here as a hunger for tastes of anything that seems to promise survival, whether ideas, theories, nutritional support, plans to get rich quick, and so on.

Beatrice Chestnut's Self-Preservation 7 Description

Self-Preservation 7 Subtype description (2021)^[6]

This subtype is pragmatic and excels at making alliances. They create a family-like network through which they can get their needs met. They tend to be alert and open to opportunities for pleasure and for making a good deal. They are cheerful, talkative, and hedonistic. They are the most self-referencing subtype and their empathy tends to be the most underdeveloped.

If this is your subtype, you will need to observe yourself to see if you take opportunistic stances and sometimes take advantage of people. You may tend to use others for your own benefit, or disregard their needs and feelings. As you tend to be very self-referencing and self-interested, this can lead you to put yourself first in a way that you may not own and that can be selfish. You may value your head more than your heart much of the time, and may not be very in touch with your emotions or very sensitive to the emotions of others. To grow, you will need to become more aware of how much you act from self-interest.

Self-Preservation 7 Subtype summary description (2021)^[10

Self-Preservation Seven: “Keepers of the Castle" The Self-Preservation Seven expresses gluttony through making alliances and creating opportunities for gaining an advantage. Pragmatic and self-interested, these Sevens find safety through networking and being alert to opportunities that support their survival. The name “Keepers of the Castle” refers to their way of establishing a partisan network of allies through which they create safety and satisfy their needs. Cheerful and amiable, they have a love of pleasure and tend to get what they want.

Self-Preservation 7 Subtype description (2021)^[10]

The Self-Preservation Seven: “Keeper of the Castle”

 

 Self-Preservation Sevens express gluttony through the formation of alliances. They typically collect around them a kind of family network, in the sense of banding together with trusted others and creating a good “mafia” or partisan group through which they can get their needs met. They rely mostly on those they trust. These Sevens create a kind of surrogate family of people they value—a family in which they typically occupy a privileged position.

These Sevens are very practical, good at networking, and skilled at getting what they want and finding a good deal; they tend to be opportunistic, self-interested, pragmatic, calculating, and clever. They readily recognize opportunities for creating an advantage for themselves. In this way, Naranjo explains, gluttony expresses itself in the Self-Preservation Seven in an excessive concern with making a good deal at every opportunity.

Self-Preservation Sevens always have their nose to the wind for good opportunities.They find ways to get what they need and want, and they have an easy way of finding pathways to making things happen for themselves—whether it’s finding the right people, the most advantageous connections, or a fortuitous career opportunity. They have their ears to the ground and are socially adept.These Sevens make business connections and network easily because they are alert and mindful to the opportunities that come along that can support their survival. They hold the position that if you are not alert to opportunities, you will lose out. This Self-Preservation theme is expressed well in the proverb “The alligator that sleeps becomes a bag.”There’s an element of self-interest in the alliances the Self-Preservation Seven makes that may or may not be denied by (or unconscious in) someone with this subtype. Naranjo says there is a kind of reciprocal interest in these relationships, expressed in the idea that “I will serve thee, and thou will serve me.” On the low side of this kind of arrangement, an element of corruption can be present.

Stylistically, Self-Preservation Sevens are cheerful and amiable, with traits that resemble a hedonistic, “playboy” or “playgirl” type. They tend to be warm, friendly, and talkative. (They love to talk.) They can express a kind of greed and impatience that reflects their desire to consume as many pleasurable experiences as possible; they want to eat everything. They expend a lot of energy on controlling everything, handling things without being noticed. And most of the time, they get away with getting what they want.

The dominant traits of the Self-Preservation Seven subtype stand out as a love of pleasure and a self-interested focus on getting what they need to feel secure. In seeking security, however, they can often confuse desires with needs. These are people who usually feel a need to have a lot of resources, including money and other supplies that support survival, and they may panic if they feel a sense of scarcity.

According to Naranjo, the three main fixations of the Self-Preservation Sevens are strategy, rebellion, and isolation, though it may be hard to see these characters as isolated because they tend to be very popular. But their strategic and mental nature, together with the prominence of their self-interest, can isolate them from others at a deeper level.

Self-Preservation Sevens cultivate a sense of being kind and generous—they like to feel that everyone depends on them. They may feel omnipotent and they may sometimes use people. They may also feel that normal rules don’t apply to them—that for them, there is no law, and they can do what they please. This kind of assertion of their freedom and their ability to do whatever they need to do to support their self-interest helps them feel safer in the world.

Self-Preservation Sevens’ desire for pleasure and hedonistic self-indulgence can sometimes be seen as a kind of retroactive compulsion to return to the womb—they dedicate their lives to the pursuit of a kind of primordial or utopian paradise state of perfect pleasure. In pursuing positive and stimulating experiences, they may use sex, food, and drink as an escape from the more difficult parts of life.

The Self-Preservation Seven and the Sexual Seven should be easy to tell apart, as they represent two opposite ends of a continuum, from pragmatic and materialistic (Self-Preservation) to idealistic and ethereal (Sexual). The Self-Preservation subtype is more earthy and sensuous—more gluttonous in the literal sense of the word—while the Sexual Seven is more “heavenly” and enthusiastic, more “upward-looking” in terms of both positivity and high ideals. While both of these two characters focus on distinct kinds of excess, the Self-Preservation Seven is the most sly, cunning, and pragmatic personality among the Sevens, while the Sexual Seven is more of a light-hearted enjoyer.In contrast to the Sexual Seven, the Self-Preservation Seven is not so much idealistic as they are cynically distrustful. They’re not gullible people who are easily hypnotized (as the Sexual Seven is); they are more practical and concrete. The Self-Preservation Seven is the most astute and strategic character of the three Seven subtypes. They may display elements of Type Six in that they can at times be fearful or even paranoid, though this is not their regular mode. And perhaps paradoxically, the Self-Preservation Seven is more actively flirty, seductive, and sexual than the Sexual Seven, who often focuses more on an imagined, idealized kind of communion than actual sex. While the Self-Preservation Seven character resembles a “playboy” or “playgirl” type of person—an enjoyer of food and sex—the Sexual Seven can be content with the perfume of things.

Self-Preservation Sevens may experience less difficulty than other Sevens with making commitments. For instance, many Self-Preservation Sevens report that they have been married for many years or that they have had a solid relationship with a partner for a long period of time. When they participate in groups, however, it may be so they can feel a sense of having access to resources if they need something at some point. Often, having close relationships is something they view as an investment, like putting money in the bank—you always have someone you can call on if you need some specific kind of help.For that reason they tend to be very active in the groups they join and the networks they are affiliated with.

Naranjo explains that spiritual aspiration is not so common in Self-Preservation Sevens; they often reject religion and tend not to believe in anything. They’re more practical, more materialistic, and more rebellious than the other two Seven subtypes.They’re very cheerful and friendly, but also disconnected from their emotions. They are sensuous, earthly, worldly characters who can be very entertaining and who display a light-hearted lack of seriousness—though when it comes to finding security through making money and establishing a network of associates, they display keen self-interest.When Self-Preservation Sevens have the Sexual instinct as their second most dominant instinct, they can look more like Sixes (more isolated, overly careful, and strategic), and when they have the Social instinct in second place, they may look more like magnanimous Eights (people-oriented and impulsive). However, unlike Sixes, they tend to be relentlessly positive and to find security through pursuing their self-interest; and in contrast to Eights, they tend to be motivated by a survival fear or anxiety deeper down, even if they aren’t always aware of it.

 Joe, a Self-Preservation Seven, speaks:

There is a gluttonous element in me that I believe stems from an early understanding in childhood that life is inherently evanescent. Opportunities missed are not easily regained. In that light, as I approached my graduation from middle school and prepared to go to high school, I realized that it was time to weigh my priorities and start planning for a career and a life maximally lived. So, at thirteen years old, I prioritized: 1) living and enjoying life to the fullest while it was possible; 2) helping others do the same; 3.) not hurting others along the way. That was in eighth grade.

The road to medical school and beyond involved painful sacrifices in regards to quality of life. I endured a decade of deferred pleasure and buried myself in my studies by making the most of my intellectual interest in medicine and the awesome experience of becoming a surgeon. What got me through the hard work was the clear vision I had of a complete life: weighing the short-term missed experiences against the long-term pleasures and security over the span of a full life as a plastic surgeon helped me see that the hardships involved in becoming a doctor were worth it. To keep things balanced, I played hard during my brief breaks from work and tried not to miss a minute of fun with friends on weekends or nights off.

While the sacrifices involved in becoming a surgeon weren’t easy, I now find myself in the most wondrous position of having fulfilled my “mission statement”—I’ve done the most good with the least harm while reaping additional quality-of-life benefits. I love my artist wife beyond words. We sail and grow organic vegetables together. I enjoy the challenges of growing grapes and making wine, and we are creating an aesthetically beautiful and self-sustaining homestead. I relish the rewards of time at work and even more at play. What could be better than or wrong with that?

I am aware, however, that I am less in touch with my emotions than might be ideal, as experiencing life more intensely on many different levels makes sense to me. I enjoy the experience when love, empathy, and other emotions well up into my consciousness, but I usually function quite happily on a more cerebral plane. Other times, fear or anxiety may enter the room, but I am less eager to tolerate their presence. I have learned to listen to my intuition and emotions, but unless they present an actionable warning, I prefer not to dwell on negative moods.

Specific Work For The Self Preservation Seven The Path from Vice to Virtue:^[10]

Self-Preservation Sevens can travel the path from gluttony to sobriety by observing and owning the way self-interest in support of the drive for security can lead you to unconsciously close yourself off to a greater realm of experience. If you are this Seven, be aware of how you may narrow your focus on what's important in life based on fears and anxieties you may not be aware of and then work to open up to experiencing the presence of these deeper motives. You can aim for sobriety by noticing how you stay alert for opportunities and seeing that tendency as a potential sign of a deeper fear that you won't have enough to survive to stay comfortable. When relating to others, work to be conscious of all the motives and underlying feelings that influence your actions. Surface any anxiety and pain as a first step to tempering your drives for self-preservation and pleasure. Recognize when your pursuit of your needs and your self-interest may impact others in negative ways, and explore the ways in which you might rationalize doing whatever you want and getting whatever you need, even when it narrows your perspective or allows you to justify harm you might (unintentionally) do. Allow yourself to sink more deeply into an enjoyment of the people you are close to by connecting more consciously with all of yourself. As you work to accept and allow all of your feelings, you will be reminded that the greatest joy comes from a total and complete openness to the full experience of yourself and others.

Haiki Self-Preservation 7 Description^[7]

Self-Preservation Seven: “Family”

This is the Seven with the strongest tendency to exaggerate and be corrupt, which can cause them to become involved in a mess or two… They are opportunistic and they will take advantage of pretty much anything to get what they want.

Oscar Ichazo spoke of them as the “Guardians of the Castle.” If they are not very healthy, they can be very selfish within their “family network” (like the Godfather). In contrast with other Seven subtypes, Self-Preservation Sevens are not nice with everyone, but only those who they choose they want to be nice with. They are prone to a bit of lust which makes them a lot like their Eight neighbors. Excess of any kind is their thing - from food to drugs, and they are the most prone type to becoming addicts.

They tend to sweet-talk those they are close to, and are very persuasive; anyone will be welcome as long as they get what they want.

In their conversations, there can often be hidden motives and if they can sell you something on the way, they will. Making business is one of their passions. In addition, they are capable of even tricking and cheating themselves while maintaining the charming facade that allows them to get what they want when they want it. You could say if the occasion requires it, they can become quite manipulative and clever.

All of this being said, the Self-Preservation Seven does not want to enjoy their party alone. They are Sevens, after all, and no matter how Self-Preservation focused they may be, they will always need the group, their clan, to be able to give free reigns to their gluttony. We could say that they are the facilitators of group narcissism - a select little group of friends who enjoy life and its pleasures as if there were no tomorrow.

Carmen Durán and Antonio Catalán's Self-Preservation 7 Description^[8]

SP7: Family 

In this subtype, we see a need to unite with their people, with people they can share their world and ideals with. This “Family,” not necessarily based on blood, is a more extroverted equivalent of the refuge searched for by the 5, and also similar to the environment where harmony can be found, as the SP6 so desires. This family can change over time, be substituted, and has as a fundamental mission to maintain hope, necessary to deny the dangerousness of the world and the defenselessness toward it. They take care of their people and they defend them as a way of defending their own world. There is a feeling of protection, of protecting and being protected, an environment of human protection in contact with this family, which stops being it as soon as these shared ideals are broken. There is a notable contrast between their love for their own people and their disinterest for the rest of the world which does not fit in their family ideal. On a deeper level, there is a strong divide between what is loved and recognized and what is aggressive and rejected, which may externally manifest in living with a distinction of what is familial and what is not.

La Mirada Libre's Self-Preservation 7 Description^[9]

E7 Conservation: Family

This type is practical and earthy, not at all idealistic or fanciful like the sexual and social ones. The 7 conservationists are called "family" because they create bonds of mutual interest. Although, what they create is more like a mafia than a family in the positive sense of the word, and they do so for two reasons: to further their interests, sweet tooth, and to repress the feeling of lacking conservation that they have carried since childhood.

This subtype is also called "the guardian of the castle" (a cold and empty fortress) alluding to its schizoid character: lack of transparency, communication, affection, trust, as well as a tendency to emotional isolation, radical autonomy, individualism and independence at all costs (may be more tight-fisted emotionally than a 5).

They are affectionate with those in their environment and profiteers with the rest of the universe, since they do not trust in laws but in "blood" ties (mutually beneficial agreements).

While he is dominated by narcissistic feelings, deep down he feels the discomfort of inadequacy. He feels inferior and envious, tending to feel "bad,” since he has become a mercantilist child who values ​​affection according to goods or services that others are capable of providing.

A skillful manipulator by word and intellect (charlatan), he cultivates complicity; and being as he is a rebel without a cause, in a world that he sees as hostile and in which it is better to take care of saving his skin and enjoying himself, he has a predatory behavior that borders on the lust of the 8, only stopped by his unconscious fear of being punished and their "family" ties.

He loves rubbing shoulders with the "vips" because he also has (to a greater or lesser extent) a poverty phobia and places himself in positions where he shines through the others without having to expose himself in the front row, always from the role of "the one who knows". At the same time, he likes to surround himself with beautiful people, especially in relationships; he has a certain obsession with beauty.

He likes to drag others into what he considers "the good life" and to be heard and recognized (especially if he is a man, by the woman) as a person who is in the know. Also, like all 7, he has a great sense of humor, only the conservation uses it quite often in the service of antagonizing the other.

In short, he has a sadistic behavior in disguise and a tendency to mistreat others while trying to appear cordial. His frauds range from large business scams to fraud and infidelity as a couple. Of the three subtypes, conservation is intellectual-active.

Riso and Hudson Self -Preservation 7 Description[11]

THE SELF-PRESERVATION INSTINCT IN SEVEN 

 

 Getting Mine.In the average range,Self-Preservation Sevens are determined, energetic people,driven to make sure that their basic needs and comforts will always be met. Their attitudes and concerns tend to emphasize the practical and the material.(In the immortal words of ScarlettO'Hara,"As God is my witness,I will never go hungry again!")They tend to be ambitious and work hard to insure that options will remain open to them.

 

Self-Preservation Sevens are also classic consumers.They Enjoy shopping, traveling, and pampering themselves, making it their business to gather information about potential sources of enjoyment(catalogs,movie listings, traveland restaurant guides).These Sevens Are especially on the lookout for sales and bargains,and like discussing these matters with friends.("I just found most darling mugs at the Pottery Barn. ""That's a great computer monitor. How much did you payforit?")While they enjoy socializing, Self-Preservation Sevens fear developing dependencies on others and avoid having others depend on them.

 

Less healthy Self-Preservation Sevens can feel impatient and panicky when their needs are not quickly met.They often experience anxieties about the loss of comfort or of material support and easily feel deprived.(Fears About Going Hungry are not uncommon.)They Can be extremely demanding and cranky when frustrated,expecting others to meet their needs as soon as they are expressed—or even sooner.

 

In the unhealthy range,Self-Preservation Sevens can be extremely thoughtless and relentless in pursuit of security needs.They aggressively go after whatever they believe will make them feel more secure stave off their anxiety,and brook no interference.Reckless With their finances and resources,spending out of control on gambling,they can be even more profligate with their own health and inner resources.They push themselves beyond reasonable limits,eating,drinking, and indulging themselves to excess.

References

[1] "The Arica Training according to John C Lilly and Joseph E Tart"

[2] Naranjo, C. (2017). "Ensayos sobre psicología de los eneatipos"

[3] Naranjo, C. (2019). "Golosos, tramposos, soñadores y charlatanes" (Translated by Yara)

[4] Naranjo, C. (2012). "27 personajes en busca del ser"

[5] Maitri, S. (2001). "The Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram"

[6] Chestnut, B. (2021). "The Enneagram Guide to Waking Up"

[7] The Haiki Enneagram Website (Link To Subtype Translations)

[8] Durán, C. and Catalán, A. (2009). "Los engaños del carácter y sus antídotos"

[9] Psychology of Ennea-types Volumes by Claudio Naranjo Interpreted by La Mirada Libre

[10] Chestnut, B. (2021). "The Complete Enneagram"

[11]Riso and Hudson(1999),The wisdom of Enneagram:The Complete Guide to Psychological and Spiritual Growth for the Nine Personality Types