Type Seven is best known for their pursuit of pleasure. It is best not to interpret this too narrowly, but rather broadly construe their vice, gluttony. Gluttony, in this case, is the distinct sense of wanting "more" of whatever it is that attracts the Seven's interest. This can often be sensory things--food, drink, etcetera. This could also indicate an "adrenaline junkie," someone who gets "high" from high risk physical activities. However, it can just as easily be activities of a quieter nature. Intellectual pursuits can be attractive to sevens. So can movies. Or TV. Or art museums.
What marks a Seven as distinguishable from, say, a Five or a Nine, is the core motivation. A Five might have an extensive library because she wants to be knowledgable, and sees discovering knowledge as the "solution." A Nine might be equally addicted to television, but with the goal of narcotizing and avoiding movement or change. In the case of the Seven, avoiding pain is the key. The Seven wants to keep everything upbeat and positive. He doesn't want to be "down." He's not concerned with obtaining knowledge, and in fact, the desire for "more," the desire to feast on everything available, can make him more of a dilettante, which is very different from the Five's obsessive desire for expertise.
For the Seven, conscious awareness of depression and anxiety are unbearable. A depressed Seven's dark moods may rival the intensity that is normally attributed to type Four. If type Four's depression is represented by steady rain, then type Seven's depression is represented by a brief but destructive hurricane. It is not surprising, then, that Seven is the type most inclined to turn to distractions and seek to get as much "pleasure" as possible, whether that pleasure is constant partying, traveling the world or a penchant for Italian horror.
In his ethics, Diogenes Laertius discusses the passions of the soul. There is much that could be applied to many different types, but I'd like to specifically focus on the aspects most useful to type Seven.
Diogenes Laertius lays out four passions: pain, fear, desire and pleasure. Each of these have sub-categories. For example, the sub-categories of fear (defined as an expectation of bad things happening) are dread, hesitation, shame, shock, panic and agony. (Ethics, 7.112-113) Desire, by contrast, contains the attributes of spiritedness, hatred, want, anger in general, wrath, quarrelsomeness and sexual love. (Ethics 7.113-114) Meanwhile, the passion of pain has the following attributes: pity, grudging, envy, resentment, heavy-heartedness, anguish, congestion, sorrow and confusion. (Ethics, 7.111-112)
It is the passion of pleasure that most typifies the Seven fixation. Pleasure contains enchantment, which is a state of being charmed. There is additionally, "enjoyment," which is when one takes so much pleasure in a thing, generally of a recreational nature, that results in a neglect one's responsibilities. Another pleasure that Diogenes Laertius mentions is "mean-spirited satisfaction" which could be understood by its modern day correlate in the German language of Schadenfreude. Finally, there is rapture, wherein pleasure is emphasized to such an extent that there is an overall breakdown of virtue. (Ethics, 7.114)
These sorts of passions have the result of crippling the soul over time, as Diogenes states that "as there are said to be ailments in the body, such as gout and arthritis, so too in the soul there are love of reputation and love of pleasure and the like." (Ethics, 7.115) It may be helpful for the Seven to start thinking of the excesses in terms of a physical ailment, that in each case, it is potentially crippling and that, rather than avoiding pain, in times can result in a very profound and longer-lasting pain. Arthritis and gout are degenerative diseases: over time, they get gradually worse. In much the same way, the passions are degenerative. Left untreated, they can cause the soul and the psyche to degenerate to the point where it is difficult to function properly.
What ought to be strived towards are the three good states of the soul. I think here, there is a strong interconnection between the three states, where one can help result in the other. The three good states are:
Joy: This is moderate elation composed of enjoyment, good spirits and tranquility. So, through enjoying oneself in a tranquil, rather than a manic fashion, joy can be increased. Think of it like when you have the same favorite meal too many nights in a row. After about a week or two, you start to get a little bit sick of it, you don't enjoy it as much. The pleasure is actually intensified by having something occasionally, since when it's too often, you will habituate and stop enjoying the thing. Therefore, it makes the most sense to be moderate in one's pleasure in order to achieve the highest degree of satisfaction.
Caution: this is moderate, but well-reasoned, reserve. By getting in the habit of having a little bit of caution, it will be easier to restrain. This doesn't have to be a lot of caution. Try exercising caution in one out of every five instances of gluttony. Once you are able to do that comfortably, try doing it in one out of every four instances. Keep doing it until you can comfortably exercise caution one out of every three times.
Wish: this is composed of goodwill, kindliness and acceptance. (Ethics, 7.116) This is generally well-wishing for others. Perhaps spending time helping out in a low-key way (for example, volunteering in a soup kitchen) can help make one aware of the value of moderation. Try doing this a few times, in a situation where you don't have to make a long -term commitment, such as during the holidays. Ask yourself the following questions: How did it feel to feed people? How did it feel to see others lining up just to be able to eat? What anxieties did this create in me? How might I be more moderate in my enjoyments and cautious in my indulgences to ensure that I have them in the future? How would I feel if I indulged too much now and then had to do without at a later date?
If you would like to read Diogenes Laertius' writings on the passions of the soul, you can find them in Hellenistic Philosophy: Introductory Readings. 2nd edition. Inwood and Gerson translation
No comments:
Post a Comment