Growing as an Enneagram Seven: The EnthusiastSample

The Tactic of Spinning

Spinning is a tactic that Sevens use in order to not fully feel pain, discomfort, disappointment, anxiety, or grief. You may have heard this called optimism or looking on the bright side, but in reality, it’s much more than that.

Spinning is what happens in your mind when something really bad or disappointing happens. Your mind naturally wants to find some way to lessen the disappointment, so it will try to focus on something positive. Sometimes, this is a gift to yourself and those around you; at other times, it’s a defense mechanism that is repressing hard truths.

Spinning usually starts in early childhood, so you may not remember a time when spinning wasn’t a natural reaction to disappointment and pain.

As a child, you probably were the happiest when your parents were happy. This is natural for kids, as parents tend to set the mood for the rest of the family. However, young Sevens usually discover that there is something they can do to impact their home environment, even if it’s just for themselves.

For a child, spinning can include turning a mistake into a joke, breaking an awkward silence, singing in a silly voice, watching a lot of TV to drown out arguments, or maybe thinking about the ice cream that’s been promised for dessert. These are among the ways that Sevens cope with uncertainty, disappointment, and things they cannot control in childhood.

Recognizing the ways spinning as a child both helped you survive and hindered processing what was really happening is crucial to your growth as a Seven, no matter how much the idea of pondering this heavy topic might make you squirm. Just know that spinning it can be both useful and a tactic to avoid something you should confront. 

At its best, spinning assures us of the truth that God will work everything together for good. We can rejoice in the knowledge that He is in control.

Look back on the past few weeks or months and think of a situation you immediately spun into a positive. Think about the emotions you felt—perhaps anger, hurt, disappointment, or shame. Where was God in that? How can you invite His presence into that space?

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in this area and highlight opportunities to grow closer to Him.