7w6 personality type (A complete guide)

In this brief guide, we will discuss the enneagram type 7w6, some of its features, as well as other concepts related to personality types.

7w6 

7w6 is a personality type in the Enneagram theory of personality and it contains the core traits of type 7, which are enthusiasm, spontaneity, and seeking new experiences, but that will also show traits of type 6, which are something along the lines of loyalty and dependability and secure, stable interpersonal relationships.

The 7w6 is also known as the pathfinders, which is quite an appropriate name for those that seek new adventures and have an innate curiosity about the world around them.

These individuals may lack the somewhat flighty, reckless nature of the typical type 7s, as the type 6 traits may provide them with more stability and security, as well as a tendency to form attachments.

At the same time, these individuals may become somewhat reckless with relationships as well, letting insecurities take over and having a tendency to be impulsive and spontaneous in the wrong direction.

7w6 Basic Fear

The basic fear that drives the 7w6 is the fear of missing out on life experiences, on places, and things that they feel they should see.

7w6 may be afraid of becoming boring and missing out on things they need to find out before they get too old or are not able to for whatever reason.

With the addition of the wing 6,  they may also start to fear that they will become boring to the other people and they might be abandoned for this reason, or, on the contrary, they may feel that seeking out new things and fulfilling their core desires may cause them to not be there for other people and result in abandonment.

They may also build up resentment for people over time, as they are torn between spontaneity and stability, and if they are not able to strike a balance, they may become quite weary and confused.

7w6 Basic Desire

The basic desire of the 7s6 is to have as many new experiences as they possibly can.

If there is a new restaurant, movie, play, song, you name it, these people are likely to be drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

When they show traits form type 6 as well, due to the wing, they may start to engage the people they care about in the same thing, trying to mingle their two worlds.

They may have a desire to seek security and stability in a relationship through being spontaneous and adventurous together, and they may see having common ground like that as a foundation to avoid the possibility of abandonment.

On the negative side, constantly keeping the two opposing things going may cause them to eventually feel tired and burnt out, and they might bristle at the thought of choosing between the two.

Strengths of 7w6

The strengths of 7w6 are as follows:

• They are immensely curious
• They love the process of learning and exploring, and are able to pick up a lot through this
• They are able to meet challenges with a positive attitude
• They are able to keep people with them in the midst of adventures or explorations
• They are dependable and loyal but also capable of impulsivity and spontaneity
• They are productive and cooperative
• They are sensitive to the feelings of others
• They remain optimistic even in stressful situations
• They are capable of thinking thoroughly and quickly

Weaknesses of 7w6

Some weaknesses of 7w6s are as follows:

• They may be somewhat flighty and hard to pin down
• They may get torn between their desire and need to explore and the other need to seek secure relationships
• They may often promise dependability but get consumed by a new thing that captures their attention
• They may have a short focus
• They may not pay great attention to detail
• They may find themselves being easily affected by others opinions
• They may doubt themselves and feel anxious often
• They may have a tendency to get bored in a job or even a relationship
• They may have difficulty staying organized when stressed

If you’re facing this, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or other mental health professional. You can find a therapist at BetterHelp who can help you learn how to cope and address it.

7w6 vs 7w8 

7w8 may be plagued by short-term thinking and this can take over sometimes, which is not something that may be seen in 7w6 due to their tendency of seeking security and stability.

7w8s can also seem less friendly than the 7w6, but this is more because they care less about what others think than not caring about others at all.

7w8s are likely to be somewhat rebellious and they refuse to be put into boxes, whereas 7w6s are likely to be more mellow and easygoing, and definitely more interpersonally gifted.

7w8s may also have a tendency to be impulsive and reckless rather than the spontaneous and adventurous one might see in 7w6s.

7w8 is one of the more rare personality types due to the rarity of type 8 itself, and it may be seen that these individuals may tend to seek new things as a means of getting away from the old, as opposed to the 7w6s which may often take others along as a means of establishing stable relationships while having new adventures.

7w6 vs 6w7

6w7 is known as the Confidant, and these individuals are all about the interpersonal security one usually seeks from a relationship, while 7w6 is more involved in curiosity and exploration, having adventures, and still being back in time to be there for who they love.

6w7 are still Sixes at their core, and they may be extremely alert and observant, which is very natural to them, and at the same time, 6w7 aren’t too engaged in planning, and on the contrary, the 7w6 may like to schedule everything. 

However, this is not to be confused with lack of spontaneity, 7w6 is still impulsive and spontaneous, but they also like to plan because they want to look forward to something and be excited about it.

On the other hand, the 6w7 might feel that things anyway might not go as planned so it might be better to embrace a more spontaneous way of living.

7w6 compatibility

7w6 might show the greatest compatibility with type 5s, especially with 5w6, as 5w6s tend to be quite people-oriented but it is not the crux of their being, they may have fears of abandonment but that won’t consume them, and their traits of type 5 may provide the 7w6 with the balance they need to stop being too reckless.

7w6 can go well with 5w6 because they also have common ground in the form of a 6 wing. 

7w6 can also go well with 5w4 – 7w6 are the nicer version of type 7, and they can take care of the somewhat sensitive 5.

7w6 is also compatible with 1w2, due to their caregiving yet stable and balanced attitude.

Type 7, whether that is 7w8 or 7w6, is compatible mostly with 1s and 5s as these are its counterparts on the enneagram, meaning they have similar directions of integration and disintegration.

You can also check the ISTJ 7w6.

Enneagram 7w6 Career

Enneagram type 7w6’s career needs to be something that does not involve the mundane and repetitive or involving very few sensory modalities.

Something along the lines of an office job won’t do for enneagram 7w6 at all, they might find themselves slowly getting more and more bored as time passes.

These individuals need stimulation and security, so they need to be in a position that allows for a sense of belongingness and at the same time might also allow for the possibility of finding new adventures and exploring new things.

These individuals may do well in a teaching or motivational oriented field, as they are good with people and can be rather charismatic.

They may also make good therapists as they are empathetic and are good at dealing with new and complex challenges, which they may find in the form of the human mind.

They might also be good at roles that involve travel, or politics, and they may also find themselves well suited to roles like cosmetology or even entertainment.

2w3 vs 7w6

The 2w3 is a caring and nurturing, albeit success chasing and ambitious person, while the 7w6 is an enthusiastic individual who may be seeking a great deal of stability and security in interpersonal relationships.

They both have traits of someone that wants new experiences and is open and curious about new challenges, and they both have an element of insecurity regarding the people in their life and about interpersonal relationships in general.

However, while on one hand the 2w3 is more affectionate and caring and giving in their approach, while at the same time also trying to achieve great success and facing their goals head-on, the 7w6 might be more involved in trying to achieve new opportunities to explore and do more new things while at the same time trying to be available to the people who depend on them and trying to balance their enthusiasm for exploration with their need to be social.

Counterphobic 7w6

Counterphobic is used to describe type 6s and the wings they make, due to the fact that they are most prone to fear out of the 9 types of the enneagram.

There are two types of 6s, Phobic and Counterphobic, and these distinctions are based on their reactions to being fearful.

For instance, imagine two people that are scared of spiders, one may try to hold one in order to get rid of the fear, while the other may avoid it constantly, these are two different styles of dealing with the same problem.

So basically, when phobic Sixes sense danger, the retreat, and get cautious.

When a phobia six imagines that they are going to be abandoned by someone they are attached to, they may retreat, or suffer in silence even if it kills them, rather than just ask or try to get some clarity.

Counterphobic 6s on the other hand, when they sense danger, they may deliberately provoke it by being outspoken or aggressive, trying to get ahead of the problematic situation before it threatens to overpower them.

In the case of the counterphobic 7w6 then, they may tend to approach the situation that is problematic with even more gusto than they normally would, and try to get ahead of the curve with immense dedication.

They may also become quite aggressive and arrogant when they feel threatened and may start to act out impulsively to deal with the anxiety of the situation.

Conclusion

In this brief guide, we discussed the enneagram type 7w6, some of its features, as well as other concepts related to personality types.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): 7w6

Citations 

Enneagram 6w7: The Six with a Seven-Wing