Someone who has an Enneagram type 7 personality is commonly referred to as an aficionado or adventurer. This should make things more transparent for you since type 7s are highly enthusiastic and love trying new things.
Type 7s are extremely fun to be around and can take you on adventures you would never have considered on your own. If you are a type 7 yourself, congratulations on being the life of the party!
There are a variety of complexities that someone with a type 7 Enneagram represents and displays, making them well-rounded people instead of being the stereotypical happy-go-lucky archetype.
Knowing what your Enneagram entails will not only make it easier to understand the common traits you tend to display but also help you discern the patterns in your career and relationships. Well, we have miles to go before we sleep, so let’s stay true to type 7s and take the leap into the next section!
Type 7 Enneagram Description
Type 7 Enneagrams are those that have an optimistic outlook toward life. If you know yourself to be a type 7, you probably relate to the taking-things-by-stride attitude. This is a lovely way to live, allowing you to encounter a diverse set of people in your life while also using your charm to get through different situations.
The love for life and a zest to keep adventuring and learning about new things are what drive type 7s forward. Staying still does not suit type 7s too much, which is why any kind of stagnancy tends to bore you to death.
Given that you are always seeking out novelty, you are bound to be someone who has immense knowledge and practical experience of numerous cultures and aspects of life. Your attitude and growth make you significantly spontaneous and adaptable, not to mention that there is always something for you to do.
Unfortunately, there are times in your life when you might need to slow down. Type 7s have a hard time dealing with this sort of pace whenever it arises, which tends to make things tough in terms of emotional and physical stability. This also means that it becomes difficult to form lasting relationships.
Too much restlessness and flying around might make it hard to land and rest your feet on the ground. Distraction, following your impulses and focusing too much on enjoyment can also sometimes result in hedonism.
Here is Abbey Howe giving a quite humorous description of the enneagram type 7:
Enneagram 7 in Stress
Enneagram 7s often get stressed out due to the solitary and moral demands of life. Distraction often becomes a way for you to deal with your stress, allowing you to avoid your issue for the time being until you immerse yourself sufficiently in your new project.
As long as you can keep jumping from one thing to another, you will be able to deal with your stress. However, this is not usually a healthy way of doing things. There might come a point when all your stressors might combine and force you to go through instead of over your problems.
There are various triggers in your environment that might stress you out, such as:
- Restrictions and limitations imposed on you
- Having an unchanging and unstimulating job or relationship
- Insufficient space and independence to make your decisions
- Being bound by institutions and responsibilities
- Not having enough support and acceptance from your loved ones
- Having to spend most of your time all by yourself
Combating these forms of stress will require you to hit a pause on your activities. Just as you devote all your time and attention to what excites you, consider spending enough time on your issues so that you can reduce and manage your stress levels.
This will give you many homes to go back to without becoming too scattered and disoriented.
There are times when the stress might have more to do with people and circumstances in your life rather than your own behavior patterns. In such a case, the best course of action might be to take some time off and communicate with the people you trust.
Distance yourself from what is toxic and move ahead in a fulfilled and healthy manner.
Enneagram 7 Careers
Type 7s are those that get a great deal of satisfaction and enjoyment from being able to express their ideas. No matter how wild they get, having the freedom and independence to express themselves openly is what is likely to keep you interested in your job and career.
As a type 7, you are also incredibly creative and have a tendency to think out of the box. This can set you apart in your career, resulting in immense success and satisfaction.
To fulfill your need for adventure, spontaneity, creativity and novelty, your career choice is something that should reflect and support these requirements.
Some popular career options among type 7s include being a photographer, travel writer, tour guide, chef, artist, designer, bartender, TV host, entertainer, comedian, pilot, detective and others.
These careers are particularly fun for type 7s when they involve exploration, innovation, change, traveling, interacting with people and multiple projects.
The problem usually arises if a project drags on for too long or if type 7s have to sit at a desk and do the same thing every day. Being unable to have some fun and joke around with colleagues or dealing with people whose energy does not match theirs can drain these people out quickly.
On occasion, however, you might need to find ways to compromise so that you can perform well on a certain task.
Enneagram 7 Relationships
An adventurous spirit might find it hard to settle down or form meaningful connections with people. While this is somewhat true for type 7s, it also presents an incomplete picture. As a type 7, you might understand what it means to enjoy every aspect of your life with enthusiasm. This often extends to relationships as well.
Loving comes naturally to you and you enjoy being the fun and outgoing one in the relationship. In particular, whenever your partner (of any kind) is more reserved and shy, you enjoy the process of bringing them out of their shell and taking them along on your adventures, both big and small.
Even if you are not in a committed or serious relationship, you are likely to have fun just being around someone and vice-versa. Often, you might float more toward those who share your spirit and sense of exploration, but you are just as good at bringing out the best in those different from you.
There are some relationships in which you might need to consider slowing down, staying still and simply listening to your partner to truly understand them. Try to keep yourself from getting too carried away in your enthusiasm so that you can be mindful of how your partner is feeling.
You will also need to consciously put others’ needs first. There are times when you might also need to undertake boring responsibilities to keep things secure and stable. At the same time, make sure your partner also understands your personality and is open enough to your exuberance.
Enneagram 7 Subtypes
When it comes to subtypes, there are three main contexts or instincts that expose themselves in different ways based on the Enneagram type. For type 7s, these subtypes all have to do with gluttony in some form or the other. Let’s go through the following points to learn what these are for type 7s.
- Self-Preservation (Connection and Networking): By forming connections and having an established set of networks in different contexts, type 7s always have something to fall back on. You love looking for opportunities and enjoy being around people who know and understand you.
- One-to-One (Dreaming of Possibilities): In the case of one-to-one interactions, whether casually, emotionally or sexually, type 7s become gluttons for dreaming of possibilities about the person they are with.
This can create magical situations and big gestures, but can also create an inaccurate image in their minds about the person you are with.
- Social (Sharing and Sacrifice): In a social setting, type 7s might seek to repress their gluttony instead of furthering it. This involves staying in tune with conventions and social expectations to present a certain image, but this might not always be true to who you are.
In another sense, sharing joy and excitement with a group of people might make you feel loved and involved.
Unhealthy 7 Enneagram
There are some unhealthy ways in which type 7s might end up exhibiting their traits. Unlike healthy 7s who are well adjusted, extroverted, enthusiastic, smart, creative, inspirational and balanced, unhealthy 7s end up being impulsive, childish, stubborn, cynical, uninterested, hedonistic and escapist.
Having to confront reality without developing the tools to do so becomes extremely disillusioning for type 7s, resulting in aggression, anger, mood swings and depression. An inability to calm yourself down may arise and you might start looking for addictions or faraway solutions.
In an extreme scenario, it might even result in complete surrender and despair.
Enneagram 7 Wings
Type 7s have 6 or 8 as their wings, resulting in a combination of traits with either of these types. Take a look.
- 7 wing 6 (7w6): These type 7s are secret adventurists—steadfast and grounded than the standard iteration of flightiness. These 7s are loyal, dependable and supportive while also being sufficiently skeptical of how the world works.
- 7 wing 8 (7w8): Type 7s with an 8-wing are careerists—ambitious, balanced, confident, reliable and persistent. Their love and enthusiasm for life brim forth in much quieter and more earnest ways, with a focus on the smaller joys.
Enneagram 7 Fear
Type 7s are afraid of running out of things to focus their attention on. As a type 7, although you fully enjoy the project you might be involved in, there might be a distant fear that you will need to find something else to do at some point.
The fear of becoming stuck and burnt out might also end up becoming crippling if you spend too much time on it, although you will still need to overcome this fear in ways other than escape and distraction.
Your fear of missing out is real, causing your mind to wander at times.
One of the best ways to manage your fear is to acknowledge it and focus on the task at hand.
Enneagram 7 Celebrities
So, who are those big shots that you can relate to? Which celebrities fall into the Enneagram type 7 category? Here is a list of some in case you are interested in learning more about them (or if you simply want to brag):
- Elton John
- Miley Cyrus
- Robin Williams
- Britney Spears
- Lil Nas X
- Andy Samberg
- Steven Spielberg
- Richard Branson
- Jack Black
- Jim Carrey
- Joan Rivers
- George Clooney
Enneagram 7 Memes
Nothing like some memes to help you learn cultural cues and relate to others like you. Here are some memes you should take a look at as an Enneagram 7.
Final Thoughts
At their best, the Enneagram type 7 is lively and loves being the center of attention. Their adventures and optimism keep the flame burning and they love regaling their loved ones with their stories.
Forming relationships might sound difficult for someone who is so much larger than life, but understanding the small and beautiful things will truly help ground you. Make sure you also find people willing to explore the world with you so that you never get bored.
Taking different things one step at a time instead of having your mind run too far ahead will help maintain novelty and interest in your life. This will also help you manage some negative traits.
No matter what, here’s hoping you keep the love and enthusiasm alive!
