Strategy 7
Enthusiastic Optimist
- Desire
- Contentment and freedom of choice
- Fear
- Deprivation and pain there's no escaping
Why People Confuse Them
Both strategies are sociable, lively and emotionally expressive. Both enjoy spending time with people and can be generous. Sevens mistake themselves for Twos more often than the other way around.
What the Difference Is
The Two wants to matter to people. They want to be the heart of the family or the friend group, the closest person others come to for advice. The Seven doesn't get as involved in other people's lives. They like having people around mainly because everything is more fun with them. Their generosity often serves to keep them company.
The Two wants to be needed. The Seven doesn't want anyone to need them, because dependent people hold them back. The Two attaches to people and finds it hard to let go; the Seven ends a relationship that isn't working fairly quickly. The Seven's emotions shift fast and are colourful; the Two's feelings are steadier and quieter. The Seven also belongs more to the head strategies and enjoys ideas, while the Two is mainly about sharing feelings.
Subtypes: The social Seven, who sacrifices for the group, is most often confused with the Two, but unlike the Two, they know perfectly well what they want and avoid unpleasant feelings.
Three Questions That Settle It
Answer honestly, based on how things usually are, not how you'd like them to be.
- Why do you spend time with people?
2More likely a Two if you want to be with them and close to them.
7More likely a Seven if the experience is bigger and more fun with them.
- How do you feel when someone starts depending on you?
2More likely a Two if you actually find it pleasant.
7More likely a Seven if it starts to suffocate you and you want out.
- What do you do when a relationship stops working?
2More likely a Two if you spend a long time trying to save it and struggle to say goodbye.
7More likely a Seven if you end it and move on, even if it hurts.
Not sure? The test will tell you in 10 minutes. What's my strategy? →
How to Spot a Two →How to Spot a Seven →How They Work Together in a Relationship →