Cinematographic Example

Living is Easy with Closed Eyes Directed by: David Trueba Year: 2013

Finally, the most complex character we have found, who embodies the traits of a Social 7, is the protagonist of Living is Easy with Closed Eyes. The fact that he is the protagonist of this realistically made film allows us to see how this character handles himself in different situations and in private. Additionally, we hypothesize that the actor portraying him could function as a Social 7, due to his physical and energetic constitution.

An English teacher from a school for priests in 1960s Francoist Spain decides to go on a trip to meet John Lennon and ask him to include the lyrics of The Beatles' songs on the sleeve of their records.

In several scenes, we observe this neurotic motivation. This road movie starts by showing the protagonist in class with his students. He is the English teacher, bringing his students glimpses of another world—the Anglo-Saxon world—which, at that moment in the history of Spain, represents freedom and democracy. In that classroom of repressed, Francoist Spain, he is the light. As previously mentioned, the neurotic motivation of the Social 7 is to see oneself as extraordinary through an act of sacrifice or service. The job of a teacher, therefore, works well for him, as it allows him to enjoy solving many problems. In the class, he has a captive audience, whom he can impress with his charm and kindness. In the classroom, he is the guide, with an important mission and a silent, easily impressionable audience that can return the image of being extraordinary that soothes him. It’s a closed

world, easy to manage, where he does not have to face reality or destabilizing conflicts, and where he enjoys a positive and kind social image. A good place for narcissists with wet gunpowder.

In another scene, he explains to the girl he’s sharing the trip with (to meet John Lennon) about his job as a teacher. He presents himself as a hero. His conscious motivation for the journey to meet Lennon is his passion to serve children and get The Beatles to publish their lyrics so they can learn English better. But constantly throughout the film, we see how his unconscious motivation—and his enjoyment—is to do something extraordinary and rub elbows with one of the cultural heroes of the time. He seeks in this experience of meeting Lennon the meaning and salvation of his mediocre life, trying to cover his reality with the sheet of fantasy and extraordinariness.

In the film, we see that the action of service/sacrifice is real. He endangers his way of life as a teacher to carry out his mission, in which the great beneficiaries will be others. It’s a mission without great dangers, but he lives as if it were in the Vietnam War, showing the quixotic aspect of this character. Within the Enneagram, we find many subtypes that display sacrificial or serving behaviors. What characterizes the Social 7 is compulsiveness in that behavior and the unconscious, neurotic motivation to appear extraordinary. Furthermore, this action of sacrifice does not annul him as a person, and the sacrifice is not total either.

Relationship with Authority

Several scenes in the film depict his relationship with authority. On the one hand, when it comes to the authority he considers evil—such as the priests and the police—he adopts an attitude of apparent self-assertion. He prefers apologizing to asking for permission, as seen when they become jealous at the cinema trying to get closer to Lennon, only to be caught by the competent authority.

With authority, it seems he lacks the strength to rebel directly, as shown when a priest strikes one of his students. Although he dislikes it, he doesn't dare to denounce the incident out of cowardice. It's not surprising that he works in an institution he doesn't believe in (a college for priests) while maintaining a proper attitude and enjoying the perks of being close to those in charge. He dreams of transforming the institution from within, but in reality, he is sheltered by it. The Social 7 often lacks the strength to transform and can end up succumbing to mediocrity, becoming a mere survivor. These traits make him a necessary collaborator for power, offering his cunning to earn a place.

To maintain this internal tension, he uses fantasy as a way to uphold an idealized self-image of goodness, well-being, and meaning. This is evident in scenes where, at night in his room, he tunes into English radio and transcribes Beatles songs. On the other hand, with the authority he considers good—John Lennon, in this case—he adopts a more horizontal dynamic. When they meet, he treats Lennon like another friend.

He has rehearsed this encounter with Lennon repeatedly, which allows him to manage his fear and use his seductive skills to approach Lennon non-aggressively and win his favor. He places the longed-for authority on the level of a peer, in a narcissistic movement, trying to relate to him. However, his narcissism plays tricks on him, as he doesn't respect the real distance that separates him from that authority.

Sense of Humor

Throughout the film, we see how the protagonist uses humor, which is central to his character. The Social 7 often leaves their interlocutor smiling, not laughing, but with a smile of well-being. Humor is the lubricant for their relationships with life and the world—a way to drain away anguish and tension and present themselves as harmless in interactions.

The protagonist makes frequent use of light humor. Although, at times, he allows himself to show aggression, as he does with the female protagonist when she isn't kind to him. His humor keeps him in relationships with a half-smile and a sense of well-being. One way he uses humor in relationships is by appearing ridiculous or outlandish. This is a way to avoid intimacy and, once again, try to prevent aggression from others by appearing harmless.

Good humor is linked to a compulsive optimism that portrays him as an enthusiast for life. When other characters reveal their wounds of pain, he showers them with his enthusiasm. In his brighter moments, this opens him up to the possibility of a daily spirituality, where even waking up in the morning can be an act full of beauty, as shown in the scene where he wakes his traveling companion with the phrase: "My mother taught me to turn on the sun. There you have it, turned on for you."

Relationship with Erotic Desire

On his journey to find Lennon, he meets a girl who is running away from home. She is pregnant by a stranger, and her family wants her to give up the child for adoption, but she wants to keep it. The protagonist is attracted to the girl from the start, but he doesn't act on his desire until he gets drunk one night. Then, he dares to ask for a kiss and even tells her he would marry her. This proposal sends her to sleep. Here, we see that his presentation to

women reveals his masculinity, his aggression. He doesn't express his desire clearly or directly. Instead, he appears harmless, castrated, devious. He uses soft humor and presents himself as a romantic gentleman with his sexuality, castrated, too respectful, and intellectual. His behavior hides no animal instinct. So much control, coldness, and disconnection make him unattractive. The girl prefers the company of the young boy they are traveling with.

Relationship with Physical Violence

Another interesting subplot for the characterization of this character is his relationship with a farmer who violates his friend. After arriving at a hotel, the boy he is traveling with is attacked by a peasant, who cuts his long hair. Upon learning about this, the teacher confronts the farmer, asking for an explanation, and the farmer slaps him. This reveals his compulsive pacifism. He thinks of himself as a pacifist by choice, but in reality, he is one by obligation, as he has no means to defend himself against someone who does not accept dialogue.

The transformation in this area is that the Social 7 will eventually raise their voice and fists to confront those who don't understand any other language but physical aggression. In the film, the professor returns to the farmhouse and destroys the farmer's tomato crop right under his nose.

Idealism

The film also accurately portrays this central aspect of the Social 7. The very motivation for his trip seems fueled by an unattainable ideal. What's interesting is how we see this idealism, which he uses to mask certain aspects of life, sometimes serves as a driving force that allows him to achieve things others may not even see as possible.

The professor manages to speak with Lennon, and the lyrics of the songs are published on the next Beatles album, just as he had dreamed. This shows that within the ideal self, there are two parts: the tyrannical ideal, which punishes us with an unattainable goal, and the driving ideal, which presents us with a possible goal that forces us to grow. The professor's trip to meet Lennon belongs to the first type of ideal. His idealism also extends to Lennon. And like all neurotics, by understanding his altar, we can understand what he yearns for: Lennon is the artist—free, bohemian, brave—the extraordinary being that every Social 7 aspires to become.