Enneagram Type 7 (A complete gude)

In this article, we will discuss Enneagram Type 7. We will explain the desires and fears of such people and their responses to emotions. Along with that, we shall give an overview of their strengths, weakness, motivations, sources of stress, and areas of growth. Finally, we will discuss their romantic relationships, job performance, and the role of childhood in their development.

Enneagram Type 7

People with Type 7 personalities are adventurous and always in search of new experiences. They are spontaneous and enthusiastic in nature. They are also social and people-oriented. They enjoy establishing and pursuing new relationships. They are driven to seek stimulation in the form of excitement and joy gained from new experiences. Type 7 are afraid of being deprived of exciting opportunities to have fun and are driven to live a fulfilled and happy life. This explains their overall tendency to pursue adventure and excitement. 

Enneagrams

Enneagrams are a map or typology of human personalities. It was developed by George Ivanovich Gurdjieff, Oscar Ichazo, and Claudio Naranjo. It has nine personality types that are split across 3 triads i.e. Feeling triad, Thinking Triad, or Instinctive Triad. 

It describes a person’s fundamental psychological orientation based on the triad quality i.e. emotion, intellect or instincts most characteristic of his or her personality. 

Enneagram Type 7: The Adventurer

Basic fear 

Type 7 are afraid of missing out on excitement and fun. The fear of being deprived of missed opportunities. Their avoid schedules and concrete plans and prefer going through with last-minute opportunities. In a way, they are spontaneous, impulsive, and risk-takers. They have difficulty focusing on different tasks especially if it’s stopping them from pursuing different and interesting experiences. They dislike being constrained and forced to stick to schedules and rules.

Basic desire 

Type 7 personalities want to you feel satisfied, happy, and stimulated. To do that they seek adventure and excitement in their life. They pursue new goals and go to great lengths to have fun. Taking risks gives them an adrenaline rush. 

Type 7 and emotions

Type 7 personalities avoid feeling negative emotions. They convince themselves that they are not experiencing feelings or hurt. In other words, that justify or give a rational explanation to their negative feelings to avoid them. They strive to remain in a happy state most of the time.

The Strengths of Type 7

Type 7 has many strengths. These include the following:

• They have a lot of energy and are generally positive people who usually see the silver lining in various situations
• Their thinking is quick and spontaneous. They can come up with creative plans and actions in a short time.
• They have the capacity to look for alternative solutions. They consider various options and multiple perspectives which makes them flexible and open-minded.
• They easily adapt to different situations and can handle sudden changes in plans.
• They are fast learners and quickly acquire new skills and abilities. 

The Weaknesses of Type 7

Type 7 also has many weaknesses. These include the following:

• These people have difficulty in committing to plans ahead of time.
• They have a tendency to get bored and lose interest in things quite easily.
• They can be perceived by others as self-centered and vain.
• At times, they can make decisions that are impulsive and not well thought out.

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.

Possible areas of growth for Type 7

Type 7 can grow as a person buy the following:

• These personalities need to stop avoiding their negative emotions. They need to invest time and energy to process them. This would help them out in the long run.
• It is important that these people learn to listen with focus and attention to others while they share their stories and also encourage them.
• They should learn to find value in things they have rather than thinking up new opportunities they might miss in the future.
• It would be helpful if they try to slow down their thinking and process ideas thoroughly.

Source of Stress 

Type 7 gets stressed by the following:

• Situations that involve a lot of rules, schedules, and limits can stress them out. This is because they like to keep their options open and do not like to commit to things in advance.
• When they are exposed to the negativity of others, they get drained.
• Too much time alone can create feelings of loneliness and drain their energy.
• An excessive routine which is not necessary can make them feel like they are being constrained.
• Having no options or freedom of choice can be quite frustrating for them.

Workplace and job

Type 7 personality works best in environments that are active and fast-paced. Work that stimulates their thinking, creativity, and imagination is exciting for them. They like Innovation and new opportunities in their area of work.

They feel energized when they can explore multiple ideas and they are given something new to do by their boss every day. Similarly, if colleagues spend time with them after work, and they are asked to suggest creative ideas, they feel energetic and enjoy their work.

However, work can be draining if they are stuck or bored by their position. When there boss gives them meaningless and repetitive tasks and their colleagues are distant and reserved, they can feel drained. When their direct reports lack energy and optimism it can be demotivating for them.

These personalities are positive and extroverted. They like to experience in the world. Careers that suit their personality includes a tour guide, travel writer, Publishers, interior designer, etc

Motivations

They are energized by the following:

• Whenever they are exposed to new ideas and experiences, type 7 personalities get excited.
• Creative and trendy aesthetics can be an energy booster for them.
• Since they dislike being constrained, having multiple options, choices, and possibilities to choose from excites them.
• Having the opportunity to meet and get to know new people is enjoyable for them.
• Since these personalities are social and stimulation seeking, parties, concerts, and large gatherings can charge up their energy.

Romantic Relationships

 In romantic relationships, people with Type 7 personalities can be enthusiastic and fun partners especially if their spouse is more reserved practical. It is Important that their spouse works with them to think through their actions before making decisions.

Type 7 personalities contribute optimism and enthusiasm in their relationship. They also encourage their partner to try new things and experiences and seek to make their relationship enjoyable for both partners.

These people can struggle in the relationships especially if it involves commitment and settling down. Having to face negative emotions and sitting down to attentively listen to their partner can be hard for them to do. Similarly, sticking to a routine can be hard unpleasant for them as they dislike monotony.

Type 7 Childhood/development

During their childhood, type 7 personalities felt disconnected from their nurturing parent. They felt that they could not rely on them for consistent nurturance. To cope with this, they focused on activities and toys to overcome the feeling of Emptiness. They developed a belief that they had to take care of themself as nobody would do it. So, they continued to seek out distractions and new exciting experiences to make themself feel happy to compensate for the lack of nurturance. They continue this pattern in their adulthood and avoided their negative feelings by convincing themself they are content and happy by engaging in fun distractions. In a way, they think that as long as they keep themself occupied in fun, they would not have to experience loneliness and emptiness. 

 FAQs: Type 7

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed enneagram Type 7. We found that people with Type 7 personalities are adventurous and always in search of new experiences. They are spontaneous and enthusiastic. They are social and people-oriented. They enjoy establishing and pursuing new relationships. They are driven to seek stimulation in the form of excitement and joy gained from new experiences. Type 7 are afraid of being deprived of exciting opportunities to have fun and are driven to live a fulfilled and happy life. This explains their overall tendency to pursue adventure and excitement. 

I hope you found this article interesting. If you have any queries or comments, please state them in the comment section 😊

Citations

https://www.crystalknows.com/enneagram/type-7

https://www.psychologyjunkie.com/2020/03/10/the-childhood-wounds-of-every-enneagram-type/#

Personality Types – Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery by Don Richard Riso with Russ Hudson

The Wisdom of the Enneagram by Don Richard Riso and Russ Huds