So, a while back someone asked me if Beatrice Chestnutâs sp2 isnât actually 2, what is it? And I theorized about 9, but now I think this description is specifically 6w7 flavored. Letâs unpack it.
Beatrice Chestnutâs Description:
This âcuteâ Two expresses pride and a need for protection through youthful ways of gaining attention and affection. The unconscious strategy the Self-Preservation Two employs is to âseduceâ like a child in the presence of grown-ups. This represents both an unconscious need to be taken care of and a sense that children are naturally loveable, inherently deserving of affection, and usually more readily liked than adults. This Two has a childlike quality in presentation and emotional expression-no matter how old they are, this Two looks youthful or young. The Self-Preservation Two unconsciously aims to attract love and attention through being cute and expressing a childlike sense of need. [...]Â This Two âremains littleâ as a way of evoking care from others without having to ask for it, just as children shouldnât have to ask for love and care or arenât mature enough to articulate this kind of request directly.
Since this person is seeking a protector / adult to lead and take care of them, itâs already more 6 than 2. 2 is an ego type, supported by either a 1 wing (I must help and serve) or a 3 wing (I must help and be the best); and self-pres is focused on the nature of being useful within a self-pres sense -- attending to the immediate physical, etc., needs of those around them (eg, the aggressive âcare-takingâ of sp2s like Molly Weasley).
This presentation is a way of inviting people to like them and take care of them, just as a childâs âcutenessâ inspires people to love them. This is their way of expressing the idea that, deep down, they want to be loved not for being pleasing or giving to others, or because of qualifications, performance, or achievements, but just because of who they are; they want to be loved for just existing.
2s give to get, which means if they want to be taken care of, they take care of others; part of the super-ego of 2 is the assumption that they âshouldâ be a selfless giver, so they aggressively... give. (An sp2 I know is forever buying things for people, but does not want anyone to buy anything for her -- itâs part of her super-ego pride in that she wants to be The Giver, and in that way, to be Essential and have the Upper Hand in the relationship.) Being cute and innocent and even a little childish seems like a 7 wing strategy, combined with a phobic 6 desire to have someone look after you (again, sort of a Marilyn Monroe-esque 6ish playfulness).
Self-Preservation Twos need to feel unique and special-they have a compulsion about being the âcuteâ girl or boy who is liked by everybody. They charm or âgive themselvesâ to others to remain the favorite. They excel at being the teacherâs pet.
The âevery girl next doorâ is a 6 trait; I am normal, cute, and harmless, so you wonât attack me. They abide by the rules and are givers, but without expecting much in return other than affection and to be unharmed.
Itâs less easy to see pride in this type. The Self-Preservation Two is the countertype of the Twos; itâs a Two that doesnât look like a Two. While the energetic direction of the flow of the Two personality (with its focus on seduction) is up and out toward others, the self-preservation instinct this Two has causes them to express more ambivalence about relationships. This Two moves toward others, but also has a âcounter-moveâ away from others out of a need for self-protection. This Two is tender and sweet, but more guarded than the other Twos. As might be expected from a more childlike character, the Self-Preservation Two is more fearful, less trusting, and more ambivalent about connections with others. Although these Twos may not be aware of how fearful they are-all Twos repress feelings-they may have a more pronounced need than other Twos to protect themselves in the presence of others, which might be perceived by some as an invisible âwall.â The ambivalence about connection experienced by this type takes the form of mixed or conflicting feelings about establishing close connections with others, especially important or intimate others
Thatâs because they are not a 2, but a 6. Pride is not driving them. They are ambivilant about relationships because of the 6 ego structure -- to move toward and then become fearful and pull away. 2s donât typically do this, since they really do want immediate connection and to be needed. But a 6 will push-pull, yes and no and maybe, I rethought things, etc., and be guarded out of a need to protect themselves against potential pain. Self-protecting and putting up a wall is 6ish, along with the ambivalence about connecting to people or not -- 2s pursue that connection and arenât afraid of making it (unless they sense direct rejection is in the cards). It seems like an instance of #Nota2..
Like other Twos, Self-Preservation Twos focus on meeting othersâ needs as a way of gaining love, but they also feel a strong opposing pull to hide or withdraw in light of the threat of disapproval and rejection inherent in interacting with others. On the one hand, people and relationships feel compelling and important, but on the other hand, being close to people seems fraught with danger because it includes the possibilities of losing oneself or being judged, taken advantage of, humiliated, or rejected.
This could just as easily be 6, again, using fear to govern decisions.
Here is the real kicker, though:
Self-Preservation Twos can be self-indulgent and hedonistic. They are drawn to cultivate a sense of âeuphoriaâ through parties, shopping, drinking or indulging in food and fun-anything to distract themselves from having to contact themselves. They are sensation-seeking, and they look for pleasurable experiences to distract themselves from feelings of self-abandonment and inner deprivation.
THIS IS A 7 WING. THIS IS SELF-PRESERVATION 7 INFLUENCES. Itâs not to say that 2s wonât pamper themselves, but being hedonistic, self-indulgent, and using these things to distract them from self-awareness is pure 7.
She also mentions idealizing people within relationships and projecting their power onto them, which... idealization can be 7 re-framing, and projecting authority onto others is 6. Being unable to locate your own power is also 6 -- a 2 knows their power lies in being essential to someone else.
The Self-Preservation Two can look like a Self-Preservation Six in that they are fearful and ambivalent about relationships, but in the Six the emphasis is on a more generalized fear, while this Twoâs fear mainly manifests in relationships.
Nah, this is a self-pres 6 description.
Beatrice herself self-types as this brand of 2, which if she pulled a lot of this description from her own experiences means sheâs an sp/so 6w7. It might also explain why she could find no instances of ever using her line to 8, and is skeptical of the existence of wings, because sheâs looking for ones that donât exist. She says she has sensed her 1 and 3 wing in the past, but mostly focuses on being a 2 -- well, a 6 is a lot like a 1 (a fellow superego type, and thereâs a lot of crossover between moral emphasis and both types), and obviously has a line to 3, so itâs natural she would see both.
So thereâs your hot, controversial take for the day -- Beatrice Chestnut is a mistyped 6w7. ;)