You may be a Type 7

Sevens love to liven things up and are often making people laugh or cheering them on. They are hard workers, deep thinkers, and focus on meeting their own needs. They benefit from building tolerance for uncomfortable or heavy emotions in order to ground themselves to the difficulties in life and recognize that others do in fact want to meet their needs too.

Type 7 Overview

People are drawn to you because of your positive energy, enthusiasm, and desire for fun. You are creative and able to find any positive reframe to distress. You are naturally social, engaging, easy-going, and often considered a jack-of-all-topics. You are open to adventure and not easily turned off from an opportunity. You thrive in possibility and love to create opportunities for indulgence and happiness. You learn quickly, are willing to make bold choices, and often serve as an inspiration to others.

You experience distress because you have constant underlying anxiety that you manage by turning it towards achievement or avoidance. Your desire for high-energy experiences and fun may cause others to take you less seriously, overlooking your deeply considered thoughts and opinions. You are resistant to difficult emotions and may work very hard to avoid them. This avoidance can cause more anxiety, irritability, or disconnection from your life. You are willing to withdraw from people, disconnecting you from important relationships or experiences. Because you are most comfortable when you have options, you have an aversion to making decisions or commitments for fear of missing out or shutting down an opportunity.

You are invaluable to society because you have an inclusive spirit, uplifting energy, and invite others to seek out adventure. You are a pioneer for new ideas, a natural comedian, and see the potential in anything and anyone. You help others navigate difficult emotions with your positivity and ability to embrace intensity. You remind society that we always have positive opportunities and experiences waiting for us.

  • You are creative and able to find any positive reframe to distress.

  • You thrive in possibility and love to create opportunities for indulgence and happiness.

  • You are resistant to difficult emotions and may work very hard to avoid them.

  • You have an aversion to making decisions or commitments for fear of missing out or shutting down an opportunity.

  • You are invaluable to society because you have an inclusive spirit, uplifting energy, and invite others to seek out adventure.

The Core of Type 7

What makes you a Type 7 is your core desires, motivations, fears, and goals. No two people are exactly the same, but all Type 7’s will have the following in common

  • Core Desires

    Being happy, fully satisfied, and content

    Avoiding discontent or emotional pain

    Reframing negatives into positives

  • Loving Messages

    “You will be taken care of.”

    “You can have options and still make commitments.”

    “You can live in the present and still have the life you dream of.”

  • Natural Gifts

    Seeking pleasurable experiences through adventure, fantasy, excitement, and drama

    Natural social skills and charm

    Inspiring others and creating opportunities/potential

  • Core Fears

    Being deprived, trapped in emotional pain, limited, or bored

    Missing out on something fun

    Being without options or agency

  • Blind Spot

    Gluttony

    Feeling a great emptiness inside and having an insatiable desire to "fill yourself up" with experiences and stimulation in hopes of feeling completely satisfied and content.

    Overcoming these messages:

    “My needs don’t matter.”

    “What matters most about me is my ability to entertain people.”

  • Triad Groups

    Head - Center of Intelligence; emphasizes their thinking in order to manage fear and anxiety and create effective strategies

    Aggressive/Assertive - energetic and decisive in ways they can achieve personal goals

    Positive Outlook - channel disappointment or conflict into positivity

    Frustration/Idealist - frustration when the world is not how it “should” be

Type 7 Support Types

Type 8 Wing (7w8)

Increased energy and focus on getting what they want, with a blend of charm and assertiveness that are hard to refuse. They may remain more determined in their point of view and be harder to win over to change. They are more naturally focused on their experiences and less on the dynamics in their relationships.

Type 1 traits in Stress/Challenge

May be more rigid and perfectionistic, critical of themselves or others, with more anger or irritability on display. May also talk with more realism (less shallow optimism), be more structured, dedicated to goals, and in touch with feelings they usually avoid. Can have more motivation to adhere to standards and precision while blending in their creativity and desire to be out of the box, leading to impressive results.

Type 6 Wing (7w6)

Even more outgoing, they can easily blend their desire for adventure with their love of being in relationships and curiosity of people. May be more organized, intentional, and thoughtful about plans and future decisions. Their natural energy will aid their 6 wing’s desire to accomplish goals.

Type 5 traits in Security/Growth

Finding permission to rest in a safe solitude, they may be more isolated or deeply focused on hobbies that bring pleasure. Instead of dissociation or distraction in socializing, they are able to embrace withdrawn behavior as a way to soothe themselves. May be more methodical and less impulsive in their goals and reactions to daily life events.

How to try on Type 7

I suggest that you “try on” Type 7 and give yourself time to see how it fits you. Not every word and detail will be a perfect match, but it helps to see the traits come alive in your unique life.

  • There is not a "best type"

    It's common to read through the number types and think that one or two personalities sound like the best ones, but it's much less common for those to actually be your core type. Every number has its strengths and challenges and most often it feels like someone is reading your journal (how would they know that about me?) when you find your actual type!

  • Understanding motivations vs excusing behavior

    Each type has a set of core desires and fears that drive behaviors and perspectives. Each type also has its own spectrum of healthy, average, and unhealthy patterns. Using the Enneagram to excuse unhealthy patterns ("I'm a 7 so that's just how I am") will keep you stuck, whereas awareness and ownership of those same patterns can provide the skills we need to thrive in our roles and relationships.

  • Don't just rely on a test to find your type

    Enneagram tests are becoming highly accurate, but not all tests are created equal. Even the most reliable tests can be wrong because they are based on the test taker's level of self-awareness. Tests are a great starting place for narrowing down your type and trying on one or two to build the self-awareness to confirm the type. If tests aren't your thing, there are many podcasts or books that explain the types. Same rules apply.

  • Understanding the connections between the numbers is key

    One of the best parts of the Enneagram model is how dynamic it shows us we are and the ways in which our personality adapts to the situation. Every type has access to 4 other personality characteristics - 2 wing types (the numbers on either side of your type) and 2 other types, your Stress and Rest numbers. We can also understand our types more clearly by learning about unique groups of three types called Triads.

  • The Enneagram is a tool, not a box

    The power of the Enneagram exists in its ability to recognize who we are at our core - what we're most afraid of and what we most desire in life. It encourages us to use our strengths to thrive as well as uncover the (usually subconscious) barriers that keep us stuck and unhappy. You are wonderfully made and the world needs your healthiest self.

  • Find a teacher or coach

    There are many great ways to learn about the Enneagram types, but it can get oerwhelming quickly if you jump in alone. Getting a coach. counselor, or finding an Enneagram teacher to help guide you through the information is crucial. They can help you know the basic information but more importantly help you lean what your type looks like unique to you.

Ready to learn more?

Get the Type 7 Growth Guide

What’s Included:

  • Over 100 pages of tools I’ve used with my own clients, personalized for a Type 7

  • Roadblocks to growth

  • Self-care suggestions

  • The Quick Reference Guide for all Types (my favorite go-to)

  • A personalized workbook to build self-awareness and spark exploration