Enneagram Type 7


What it's like to be an Enneagram 7

Sevens are extroverted, energetic and enthusiastic about life’s possibilities. For Sevens, the world is primarily a place of adventure. They live for the excitement of the future. Sevens are fun-loving, entertaining and like to spin every defeat into a success.

As good as Sevens are with inviting others to enjoy what life has to offer, they struggle to acknowledge the painful parts of life.


Have a gift to brighten up the mood wherever they go
Are good at seeing the big picture of things
Don’t take themselves too seriously
Are great at making plans that are fun for everyone
Have an agile mind that is able to switch between multiple things quickly

Enneagram Type 7 in Depth

Sevens are cheerful and pragmatic people who spend a lot of their time focusing on the next amazing experience. They are spontaneous and bold and don’t quickly accept limitations to their curiosity.

Among the amazing gifts of Sevens is their belief in the positive sides of people and their ideas. They like to encourage others to try out new things and pursue their dreams, just like they do themselves. But their desire for constant stimulation can often lead them into over-indulgence. Their inability to face up the less positive sides of life also makes it hard for them to commit when things get hard and to own up to their mistakes, instead of spinning them into something entertaining.


Sevens want to feel satisfied and content. They try to achieve a place of continued happiness by focusing only on the bright side of life.

Sevens belong to the “head group“ of the Enneagram, as do types Five and Six. These types share a special relation to their mind, and to feelings of fear and anxiety. While Fives withdraw into their minds to observe the world from a distance, Sixes use their minds to scan and prepare for any potential danger in order to calm their anxieties. Sevens, who from the outside look very pragmatic, try to distract their minds from the lingering feeling of the darker things hidden underneath their sunny exterior.

Many Sevens report that there was a certain lack of nurture in their childhood. The feeling that no one else would ultimately take care of them made them develop the strategy of keeping themselves happy and entertained. Without the basic security of knowing they are provided for, they choose anything that comes their way to provide them with happiness and contentment, even if it’s only fleeting.


Sevens (unconsciously) believe that feelings of frustration, fear and pain will quickly overwhelm you if you don’t stay on top of them. They therefore try to occupy their mind with interesting distractions at all times. Sevens are convinced that they can escape those frightening feelings forever, as long as they only choose positive emotions.

The main struggle of Sevens is looking for happiness outside themselves. This puts them in danger of becoming insatiable, since nothing they do, no matter how exciting and fulfilling it is in their mind, ever actually keeps them satisfied for long.

Sevens who become healthy are some of the most inspiring people on the planet. They infect people with their optimism, while possessing the strength to see their great visions through to the end and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Because healthy Sevens become comfortable with the full range of human emotion, they are fun and grounded, idealistic and practical, content and resilient at the same time.

Sevens start to grow when they realize that joy is a gift that can’t be obtained by force, but only received. This realization lies at the other side of a process of facing their pain. Doing this, Sevens will realize that they can come out on the other side intact, and this way accept that suffering and disappointment are parts of life that don’t have to be avoided, but can be used to grow.


Enneagram 7s at their worst and their best

Your personality isn’t a fixed thing. People grow. While we don’t change our basic personality, we all can become more mature and healthy inside our personality. But at times, we also revert to less healthy behavior. This looks different for every personality type. Let’s see how it unfolds for Sevens.

Average Type 7s

On average, Sevens use their quick minds to learn a lot, experience a lot and get a lot done. They love things that tickle their brain, because it gives them more things to do and think about, and so they jump from one thing to the next. This can also make it hard for them to stay focused on one thing for a long period of time. To avoid any negative feelings they stay active and busy and downplay negative emotions or reframe them into positive ones.

Unhealthy Type 7s

Unhealthy Sevens are caught in a back and forth of excess and despair. Their search for stimulation often turns into a flight from reality that can turn into addiction. Sevens who don’t know how to address their fear of sadness become irresponsible and reckless in their attempt to run away from it.

Healthy Type 7s

Healthy Sevens have learned to live with the shadowy side of life. They aren’t afraid of being unhappy or unsatisfied anymore, which allows them to live their lives with a more calm and easy approach. Their optimism becomes infectious, because it’s no longer just a pain-avoiding method, but an honest conviction that you can and will come out on the other side better than you were before. Healthy Sevens can testify to this truth because it’s the path they had to walk themselves in order to become whole. These Sevens remind us of the pure pleasure of existence – one of life’s great gifts.

Wings of Enneagram Type 7

Your wing adds an additional flavor to your personality. Every personality type of the Enneagram can have either one of the two neighboring types as its wing. For Sevens this means, they can have Type Six or Type Eight as their wing.

Enneagram 7w6: Seven with a Wing Six

The steady, persistent and loyal Type Six wing makes Sevens more committed and reliable. It’s easier for them to carry their child-like wonder to maturity and take their responsibilities seriously. Staying focused and being more prudent in their planning often comes more naturally to them.

To find out more about this type-wing-combination, click here.

Enneagram 7w8: Seven with a Wing Eight

With the strength-oriented Type Eight wing, Sevens gain more assertiveness and ambition, and their thinking often is more strategic and aimed at efficiency. These Sevens are determined and persistent and often show an almost pure and genuine joy of life.


Common mistypings for Enneatype 7

It’s not unusual that people are not sure which Enneagram personality type they really are. If that’s you, don’t worry, it’s totally normal. The Enneagram doesn’t just look at your behavior, but at the motivation behind your behavior. This means that some Types can look similar on the outside.

What happens most often for Type Sevens is that they get confused with Type Threes. Sometimes, they also mistype themselves for Type Two.
Since every type has two wings, you might also be unsure whether Type Six or Type Eight, your wings, might actually be your main type.

You can learn how to safely tell Type Seven apart from all the other Enneagram types here.

5 First Steps That Can Help Type 7s grow

Finding out about your Enneagram type shouldn’t be the end of your journey of discovering your personality. The Enneagram is an amazing tool to help you on your journey to become more self-aware and self-accepting.

These five ideas are only a first step to get you started. Get your premium profile to find out much more about how you can use the Enneagram to become your healthiest self!

1. Enjoy restraint

Even though it may sound like an insult, Sevens are the ones who are to gain the most from getting off the bandwagon that says “more is always better“. Practicing some form of daily meditation to give your mind a chance to slow down and focus on the now is one of your most helpful potential tools.

2. Look out for the word ”boring“

Usually when Sevens get “bored“ by something, it’s a good indicator their minds are revving up to mask some source of anxiety. Watching out for that state of mind helps you recognize when it’s time to look at those feelings instead of running away from them.

3. Face your past

Sevens love the future. They don’t like the past as much, especially when it comes to remembering the rainy days. That’s why taking an unflinching look at the people who have caused you hurt and actively forgiving them as well as yourself will be a game-changer for you. Making amends is the next step.

4. Dive underneath the surface

Many Sevens will strongly object to the notion that they avoid negative feelings. This is true inasmuch as they do recognize them, they just process them incompletely and want to move on from them as quickly as possible. Contrary to how it sounds though, taking the effort and time to actually let your painful experience really touch you on a deeper level will only enrich your joy. A journal to write things down can help.

5. Practice patience

Sevens often travel at a different speed than those around them. This can make them impatient with others as well as themselves. But there is no such thing as an “instant expert“. The best way to not be perceived as superficial is to reign in your impatience that keeps you from actually doing your homework and becoming a true master of your skills.

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