Type 7 | Enneagram Personality | My Personality Style

Type 7 - The Enthusiast

The Busy, Fun-Loving Type

Spontaneous
Versatile
Distractible
Scattered

Fear of deprivation and pain

They strive to achieve their wildest desires and find fulfillment.
Their pervasive, underlying fear is that others will not meet their needs and desires, so they must pursue them themselves.
They constantly aim to move away from pain, sadness, and helplessness and towards independence, happiness, and fulfillment.

Basic Desire

To be satisfied and content—to fulfill their needs.

Key Motivation

To be happy and satisfied through many experiences.

Core Wounds

You feel deprived and frustrated.
You feel limited nurturing.
You feel an inner emptiness.
You fear that there will not be enough.
You believe the source of satisfaction is outside yourself and need to find it yourself.

Center of Intelligence

The Head / Thinking - Fear

Internalizes, or experiences, their fear inwardly.
The outside world is fun, but there are dragons inside.
They flee from the inner world and gorge on the outer world of pleasures and possibilities.
They tend to be versatile, acquisitive, spontaneous, scattered, a total blast to be around – but tough to pin down.

Personality Type Cross-reference

MBTI / Keirsey - Rational (NT - Intuition / Thinking)

ENTP - The Debater

Temperaments

MBTI / Keirsey - Idealist (NF - Intuition / Feeling)

ENFP - The Champion

Temperaments

MBTI / Keirsey - Artisan (SP - Sensing / Perceiving)

Temperaments

Traits

You are extraverted, optimistic, versatile, and spontaneous. You are playful, high-spirited, and practical, and you can also misapply your many talents, becoming over-extended, scattered, and undisciplined. You constantly seek new and exciting experiences but can become distracted and exhausted by staying on the go. You typically have problems with impatience and impulsiveness. You are enthusiastic about almost everything that catches your attention. You approach life with curiosity, optimism, and a sense of adventure, like "kids in a candy store" who look at the world wide-eyed, rapt anticipation of all the good things you are about to experience. You are bold and vivacious, pursuing what you want with a cheerful determination. You have a quality best described by the Yiddish word "chutzpah"—a kind of brash "nerviness." Although you are in the Thinking Center, this is not immediately apparent because you tend to be extremely practical and engaged in many projects at any given time. Your thinking is anticipatory: you foresee events and generate ideas "on the fly," favoring activities that stimulate your mind—which in turn causes more things to do and think about. You are not necessarily intellectual or studious by any standard definition, although you are often intelligent and can be widely read and highly verbal. Your mind rush from one idea to the next, making you gifted at brainstorming and synthesizing information. You are exhilarated by the rush of ideas and the pleasure of being spontaneous, preferring broad overviews and the excitement of the initial stages of the creative process to probing a single topic in depth. You are endowed with a quick, agile mind and can be swift learners. This is true both of your abilities to absorb information (language, facts, and procedures) and your ability to learn new manual skills—you tend to have excellent mind-body coordination and manual dexterity (typewriting, piano playing, tennis). All of this can combine to make you into the quintessential "Renaissance person." Ironically, your wide-ranging curiosity and ability to learn quickly can also create problems. Because you can pick up many skills relatively easily, deciding what to do with yourself becomes more difficult. As a result, you also do not always value your abilities as you would if you had to struggle to gain them. When you are more balanced, however, your versatility, curiosity, and learning ability can lead you to extraordinary achievement. The root of your problems is out of touch with your inner guidance and support of your essential nature, which creates deep anxiety. You do not feel you know what to do or how to make choices that benefit yourself and others. You cope with this anxiety in two. Ways. First, you try to keep your mind busy all of the time. As long as you can keep your mind occupied, especially with projects and positive ideas for the future, you can, to some extent, keep anxiety and negative feelings out of conscious awareness. Likewise, since activity stimulates thinking, you are compelled to stay on the go, moving from one experience to the next, searching for more stimulation. This is not to say that you are "spinning their wheels." You generally enjoy being practical and getting things done. Second, you cope with losing essential guidance using the "trial and error" method: you try everything to ensure you know what is best. Intentionally, you cannot find what you want. You, therefore, tend to try everything—and ultimately may even resort to anything as a substitute for what you are looking for. "If I can't have what will satisfy me, I'll enjoy myself anyway. I'll have all kinds of experiences—that way, I will not feel bad about not getting what I want." You can see this in action even in the most trivial areas of your daily life. Unable to decide whether you want vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry ice cream, you will enjoy all three flavors—just to be sure that you don't miss out on the "right" choice. Having two weeks for a vacation and a desire to visit Europe brings a similar plight. Which countries and cities to visit? Which sites to see? Your way of dealing with this will be to cram as many different countries, cities, and attractions into his vacation as possible. While you are scrambling after exciting experiences, the real object of your heart's desire (your personal Rosebud, as it were) may be so deeply buried in your unconscious that you are unaware of precisely what it is. Furthermore, you speed up your pursuit of whatever seems to offer freedom and satisfaction, you tend to make worse choices, and you are less able to be satisfied because everything is experienced indirectly through the dense filter of your fast-paced mental activity. You end up anxious, frustrated, and enraged, with fewer resources available to you physically, emotionally, or financially. You may ruin your health, relationships, and finances while searching for happiness. On the positive side, however, you are extremely optimistic—exuberant and upbeat. You are endowed with abundant vitality and a desire to fully participate in your life each day You are naturally cheerful and good-humored, not taking yourself too seriously, or anything else for that matter.
When Healthy	When Unhealthy
Fun-loving spontaneous imaginative productive enthusiastic quick confident charming curious	Narcissistic impulsive unfocused rebellious undisciplined possessive manic self-destructive restless

Center of Intelligence

The Head / Thinking - Fear

Internalizes, or experiences, their fear, inwardly.
The outside world is fun, but there are dragons inside.
They flee from the inner world and gorge on the outer world of pleasures and possibilities.
They tend to be versatile, acquisitive, spontaneous, scattered, a total blast to be around – but tough to pin down.

Focus of Attention

Sevens avoid unpleasant feelings by focusing on what feels pleasant and keeping the mood upbeat to reframe negatives into positives.
A fear of being trapped in discomfort fuels quick thinking, creative problem-solving, and a focus on positive future possibilities.

Patterns of Thinking and Feeling

Sevens have quick, synthesizing minds, with which they find links between the commonalities in different subjects, making rapid mental associations.
Emotionally, Sevens like happy emotions and dislike feeling fear, anxiety, sadness, boredom, pain, or discomfort.
Their attitude is, “Why do you feel pain if you can feel happy instead?”

Behavior Patterns

Sevens are energetic, fast-paced, innovative, and active.
They usually have many exciting activities they enthusiastically pursue.
Sevens like planning for a fun and maintaining many options, so they can keep their mood up and shift to the most pleasant option if one plan becomes undesirable or untenable.

Passion—Gluttony

While we commonly think of gluttony in connection with food and overeating,
in the language of the Enneagram, gluttony is a passion for pleasure and a desire for more—an excessive indulgence in consuming whatever brings joy.

Arrows

When secure moves towards positive side of Type 5 - The Investigator

Become quieter and more introspective
explore subjects in depth
value wisdom and self-discipline
accepting of polarities of life [good and evil, happy and sad]
become more severe and are taken more seriously
get in touch with fears

When stressed moves towards negative side of Type 1 - The Reformer

Cynical and hypercritical
judgmental towards self and others
think in terms of black and white
blame others for preventing them from having fun
obsess over an idea or project
feel a low-level and pervasive irritability

Wings

Type 6 – The Loyalist
When Healthy	When Unhealthy
Most gregarious and outgoing of all the sub-types enjoy encountering and interacting with others playful childlike engaging silly retain a certain innocence despite challenging experiences believe in the goodness of life, highly creative and entertaining positive outlook on the world use optimism to connect with others ingratiating sassy generous particularly around experiences [parties, traveling, socializing] fall in and out of love easily	Can become nervous and flighty defensive impulsive anxious insensitive demanding of others to help ease their anxieties and solve their problems for them
Type 8 – The Challenger
When Healthy	When Unhealthy
Assertive industrious goal-oriented pragmatic ambitious maintain an intense and active lifestyle exuberant enthusiastic self-confident often have material success able to overcome obstacles and endure hardships high capacity for leadership tenacious businesslike think strategically rapidly reorganize internal and external resources in pursuit of something they want seek out intense experiences direct stimulated by confrontation and conflict strong-willed	Can become antisocial deplete physical emotional, and financial resources engage in risky or dangerous behaviors ruthless in their pursuits physically destructive jaded

Relationships

When Healthy	When Unhealthy
You are lighthearted generous outgoing caring and fun You introduce your friends and loved ones to new activities and adventures	You are often ambivalent about being tied down to a relationship and are narcissistic opinionated defensive distract

Addictions

Seven's are most prone to addictions: stimulants (caffeine, cocaine, and amphetamines), Ecstasy, psychotropics, narcotics, and alcohol but tend to avoid other depressants.
Wear body out with the effort to stay "up."
Excessive cosmetic surgery, pain killers.

Red Flags

Compulsive behavior
Fixation on upcoming events
Scattered activity
Avoiding work or responsibilities

Interpersonal Coping Style

Assertive - Take action on as many ideas as possible while running away from feelings.

Conflict Style

Positive - Put a positive spin on adversity + conflict, become impatient with others they perceive as needy.

Self-Preservation Subtype

Keepers of the Castle

This energized Seven is a great networker, gathering a ‘family’ of close supporters and motivated by wanting the best for everyone.
They love the good things in life. They may risk becoming self-interested and pleasure-seeking.
This subtype is generally good at getting what they need to have fun and feel safe but may also be good at rationalizing and defending whatever they want to do.
They express gluttony by making alliances and creating opportunities to gain an advantage.
Pragmatic and self-interested, these Sevens find safety through networking and being alert to opportunities that support their survival.
The name “Keepers of the Castle” refers to their way of establishing a partisan network of allies through which they create safety and satisfy their needs.
Cheerful and amiable, they love pleasure and tend to get what they want.

Social Subtype

Sacrifice (countertype)

This Seven acts against the gluttony that characterizes the Seven, tending to mistype with Enneagram 2.
They are a great and strong desire to be of service, to create a better world.
They will sacrifice their own needs to serve the needs of a group or person they support.
They can be judgmental regarding selfishness in themselves or others and hope to be appreciated for their sacrifice.
As the countertype, Social Sevens go against gluttony through conscientious efforts to serve others.
Conscious of wanting to avoid exploiting others, they need to be good and pure and sacrifice their own needs in supporting the needs of others.
They are passionate about being considered suitable for sacrificing their desires.
They express an ascetic ideal and make a virtue of getting by on little.
They say idealism and enthusiasm to make themselves feel active and valued in the world.

One-to-One Subtype

Fascination - Suggestibility

The dreamer, the idealist, the romantic … this Seven sees reality through a rose-colored filter, connected to the possibility in everything.
Their enthusiasm and optimism may seem unrealistic or naive as they believe in the good in everything and everyone.
They want the world to be more than dreary and dull and may embellish reality and dislike relationships that have become boring and predictable.
They express gluttony through a need to imagine something better than ordinary reality.
Gluttons for things of a higher world. They are romantic dreamers with a passion for living in their imaginations.
They look at things with the optimism of someone in love; they see the world through rose-colored glasses.
“Suggestibility” refers to being somewhat naive and easy to hypnotize.
Lighthearted and enthusiastic, they focus on exciting possibilities and pleasurable fantasies and believe they can do everything.

Dilemma

The temptation of sevens is idealism. It has several aspects.
Sevens must ensure they are working for a good cause that brings joy to them and others.
One of the most frequent defense mechanisms is rationalization.
A seven can repress injustices of the world economic system, arguing that it wouldn't make people with low incomes any happier if we gave up our money and possibilities.
The death of a family member can become more bearable if you tell yourself it was a "blessing" that the person achieved many fine things.
Under certain circumstances, sevens can live for years without sensing the dark side of life, and they can label the people who place their fingers on sore points as whiners or "cultural pessimists."
Sevens avoid pain. Their method is straightforward: "I want to be cheerful instead of sad. I want to enjoy life."
Sevens have difficulty dealing with emotional problems – their own and other people's.
Sevens are unhappy when others are unhappy.
They need to have "good vibrations" around them.
Sevens can exaggerate everything; more eating, drinking, working, beginning more projects, seeking more recognition, and living in more beautiful places.
Like twos, sevens often struggle with weight problems.
Sevens are usually on a diet which they hate because it's connected with deprivation and "suffering."
Sevens are epicureans.
Sevens try to imagine a life where there is no Good Friday, and it is always Easter.
The gift or fruit of the spirit of sevens is joy.

Personal Growth

You think you are not the fashioner of your happiness, so you continually plan new ways of optimizing your life.
Your joy can be authentic and deep if it doesn’t lose itself in superficial addiction and pain.
You must learn to overcome an exaggerated fear of physical and psychological pain.
Someone who loves sevens must help them to eat, chew, swallow, and digest their pain.
You need to perceive your dark side, slow down, stop the continual chatter, and accept the part of life that is hard, not beautiful.
Recognize your impulsiveness, and get in the habit of observing your impulses rather than giving in to them.
This means letting most of your impulses pass and becoming a better judge of which ones are worth acting on.
The more you can resist acting out your impulses, the more you will be able to focus on what is good for you.
Learn to listen to other people.
They are often interesting, and you may learn things that will open new doors for you.
Also, learn to appreciate silence and solitude: you do not have to distract yourself (and protect yourself from anxiety) with constant television or stereo noise.
By living with less external stimulation, you will learn to trust yourself.
You will be happier than you expect because you will be satisfied with whatever you do, even if it is less than you have been doing.
You do not have to have everything this very moment.
That tempting new acquisition will most likely still be available tomorrow (this is certainly true of food, alcohol, and other common gratifications—that ice cream cone, for instance).
Most good opportunities will come back again—and you will be in a better position to discern which options are best for you.
Always choose quality over quantity, especially in your experiences.
The ability to have quality experiences can be learned only by giving your full attention to the experience you are having now.
If you keep anticipating future experiences, you will keep missing the present one and undermine the possibility of ever being satisfied.
Make sure that what you want will be good for you in the long run.
As the saying goes, watch what you pray for since your prayers may be answered.
In the same vein, think about the long-term consequences of what you want since you may get it only to find that it becomes another disappointment—or even a source of unhappiness.

Color

The color of sevens is green, and it symbolizes vitality, health, and well-being.

Sevens and Ones

Ones and Sevens have similar styles in many ways.
Both Ones and Sevens are quality-oriented, with Ones displaying this in their attention to attaining high standards in their work and other things they do, and Sevens seeking to experience the best of everything, especially recreationally.
Ones and Sevens are both idealistic and visionary.
One wants things to be perfect and work hard to make things fit an internally generated sense of the ideal.
Sevens are optimistic about denying negative feelings and realities and thinking about future possibilities.
Both Ones and Sevens have a lot of energy.
Ones apply themselves diligently to everything they do, and Sevens dedicate themselves fully to the many activities that interest them.
While both styles can be perfectionistic, Ones are generally more consistently concerned with perfection than Sevens, who can let go of the effort to “do it right” if it becomes too onerous.
Both intellectual and analytical, Ones and Sevens like problem-solving.
Finally, Ones and Sevens are sensitive to criticism, though the One is likelier to show it than the Seven.
One big difference between Ones and Sevens is that work has to come before play for Ones and Sevens; planning for play and engaging in pleasurable activities is more primary.
It’s not that work isn’t essential to Sevens, as Sevens can be very dedicated to their work, but they may approach their job duties by doing work as an enjoyable activity rather than a responsibility.
Although Ones are romantic, they can seem less than optimal because they look for ways to improve things, while Sevens are relentlessly optimistic.
Ones like structure and can work within prescribed limits, while Sevens dislike limits and may have a harder time constraining organizational structure elements.
For instance, Sevens are uncomfortable within a hierarchy and tend to equalize authority, while Ones work well within a defined authority structure.
Further, Ones excel at managing the details of projects and tasks, while Sevens find this kind of work tedious.
Because Ones naturally pay attention to errors that need correcting, they can seem to the Seven to focus too much on the negative—Sevens always want to focus on the positive aspects of things.
Interpersonally, Ones can sometimes be critical or inflexible. Still, they are firmly committed to self-improvement, will listen to others’ feedback, and dedicate themselves to working on relationships.
Sevens bring positive energy and fun to relationships but can feel challenged if difficulties must be addressed and worked through with others.

Sevens and Twos

Twos and Sevens can look alike.
They both are upbeat, energetic, and fun-loving.
Both Twos and Sevens tend to be optimistic, Twos because they want people to like them (and they know people like happy people), and Sevens because they like to be happy and not sad, as they can experience “negative” emotions as threatening and anxiety provoking.
Twos and Sevens have hedonistic tendencies; both like to have a good time and experience pleasure.
However, the aims behind their pleasure-seeking differ.
Twos want positive experiences with others to build and enjoy relationships and as a way to indulge (or overindulge) themselves in response to deeper feelings of need deprivation.
Sevens habitually seek pleasure as a defensive way of avoiding less positive experiences, including feelings of discomfort, pain, or anxiety.
People of both styles enjoy relating to other people. They may idealize individuals they like, Twos because they want others to affirm their likability and Sevens because they like the stimulation of engaging with interesting individuals.
There are also significant differences between Twos and Sevens.
Twos pay a great deal of attention to other people, focusing on the moods and needs of others as a way of aligning with them to create positive connections. In contrast, Sevens focus more on their own needs and wishes, seeking fulfillment of their desires as a way of averting or distracting themselves from more negative experiences.
Twos will often adapt to others and abandon their needs to strengthen their bonds with others. At the same time, Sevens do what they want to do and do not often give up what they need to please someone else (though the Social Seven is an exception to this).
In relating to others, Twos also actively manages their image to attract others by being what they think they want them to be. Sevens do not focus as much on interpersonal interactions regarding how people perceive their image.
On a fundamental level, Twos are motivated by pleasing others; Sevens are motivated by pleasing themselves.
Twos tend to be more feeling-oriented, having regular contact with their emotions, while Sevens are more mental and more oriented to thinking.
When completing a task, Sevens can have a difficult time focusing, especially if the job is tedious, while Twos have an easier time focusing on completing a job, especially if what they are doing is in some ways being seen and evaluated by others.
Sevens like to have many options, and they can feel limited if they don’t, while Twos don’t necessarily need or want more options, as having many choices can make it more difficult for Twos to make a decision (because they often don’t know what they need).
Social Sevens can look more like Twos than the other two Seven subtypes because Social Sevens are more oriented to service others.
Social Sevens may be confused with Twos because, in addition to the commonality of being people-oriented, Social Sevens will sacrifice their own needs, in a way similar to Twos’ style, to support the needs of the group.
This habit of being conscious of the group and what others might need can make the Social Sevens seem a lot like the friendly, outgoing, generous Twos.
However, despite the Social Sevens’ tendency to give more or sacrifice their self-interest more than the other Sevens, the Social Sevens can still be distinguished from Twos by their knowledge of their own needs and wants and their tendency to avoid difficult feelings.

Sevens and Threes

Threes and Sevens can be look-alike types, sharing many characteristics.
Threes and Sevens both have a lot of energy, and they both work hard, especially on projects that they are interested in and invested in.
Threes and Sevens can be charming, engaging, and attractive.
Threes employ these qualities to gain people’s approval, admiration, and cooperation. Sevens use charm as a first line of defense, diffuse negativity, and create an upbeat, positive mood when interacting with others.
Both Threes and Sevens are optimistic and confident about reaching goals, Threes because they want to create an image for others of achievement and success, and Sevens because they habitually view things in a positive light and believe in endless possibilities and opportunities as a way of avoiding difficult feelings.
Related to this, both styles avoid negative feelings that might slow them down, Threes because difficult emotions interfere with doing and looking good, and Sevens because they fear becoming stuck in uncomfortable experiences, like anxiety or sadness.
Some traits distinguish Threes from Sevens.
Threes excel at focusing on and completing tasks, while Sevens can find it more challenging to maintain their focus and finish tasks because they tend to get distracted.
Threes expend much effort cultivating their image and managing others’ perceptions of them. In contrast, Sevens don’t pay as much attention to gaining others’ approval through achieving a particular image.
Furthermore, Threes tend to be other-oriented, relying on others’ approval and admiration to affirm their sense of themselves. At the same time, Sevens are self-referencing, meaning they focus more on their internal experience, needs, and desires than on whether or not others approve of them.
Threes prioritize work, even sometimes bringing work on vacation.
In contrast, Sevens prioritize pleasure, fun, and recreational experiences over work.
Threes usually work well within authority structures and workplace limitations as long as they support their progress toward their goals. In contrast, Sevens dislike hierarchical structures and so equalize authority to avoid acknowledging any restrictions that might be put on them.
Finally, Sevens often focus on planning for the future instead of paying attention to the present, while Threes tend to focus more on the present and what needs to be done today about the immediate tasks in front of them.

Sevens and Fours

Fours and Sevens share traits that can make them look alike.
Both types are very romantic, with Fours focusing on ideals of love and connection and Sevens focusing more on envisioning the ideal in a wider array of imaginative realms.
Most notably, Fours and Sevens appreciate and seek out intense and stimulating experiences.
Fours do this because they live from their feelings, appreciate the rich experience of deeply felt emotion and passionate connections with other people, and dislike the mundane experience.
Sevens pursue intensity and stimulation because they want to keep their mood up and their experiences fun and cheerful as a way of moving away from less optimistic, less intense, potentially empty, dull, or unpleasant alternatives.
In this, both types have an aversion to the day, the mundane, and the ordinary, finding this realm of experience potentially empty and thus dull or even anxiety-producing.
Both Fours and Sevens value creativity and self-expression, Fours because they want to be seen and understood as special and unique and because they appreciate aesthetics and artistry, and Sevens because they are natural visionaries who imagine varied future possibilities, have many interests and ideas, and appreciate the vital and exciting aspects of creative expression.
In relating to others, both Fours and Sevens are self-referencing; that is, they focus more on their own experience instead of focusing primarily on others.
When Fours pay attention to their experience, they usually do so emotionally, focusing on their feelings and moods.
When Sevens focus on themselves, however, they often focus on their thoughts, plans, and desires for amusement and pleasurable experiences. They look to the outside world for entertainment opportunities.
Both Fours and Sevens can also be sensitive to criticism, with Fours feeling criticism as an extra blow to their already diminished sense of themselves as not good enough, and Sevens experiencing it as a hurtful interruption of their youthful desire to focus on what's positive.
Fours and Sevens also differ in specific ways.
Although both styles are romantic, Sevens tend to be relentlessly optimistic. Fours can be somewhat pessimistic, especially to the outside observer, as Fours tend to draw attention to what is missing.
Also, Fours and Sevens have very different profiles regarding their experience of feelings.
Sevens tend to focus on and dwell in positive feelings, naturally having very upbeat, happy temperaments.
Connected to this, Sevens can have difficulty staying with more difficult emotions, such as sadness or discomfort.
Fours are more comfortable with a wide range of emotions and tend to feel darker feelings like disappointment or melancholy more regularly and comfortably.
Similarly, Sevens often reframe negatives into positives, while Fours can feel irritated when people tell them to "look on the bright side." Fours tend to focus on what is missing or unavailable that they would like to have or be, leading them to be more aware of the negative side of situations, issues, and relationships.
Four's comfort with feelings makes them good supporters of others experiencing difficulties, while Sevens have a harder time being with and empathizing with others in pain.
Sevens feel challenged by dealing with suffering, feeling much more comfort and ease focusing on positive feelings.
Conversely, Fours can find richness in suffering and see it as a natural and valuable part of the human experience.
Furthermore, Fours seeks deep connections with others based on sharing authentic feelings. In contrast, Sevens can feel hesitant about making commitments and exploring relationships on a deep emotional level because they dislike feeling limited and tend to move away from engaging too deeply with others sometimes.
Lastly, Fours values authenticity and depth, while Sevens prioritize charm and a positive, fun-loving presentation (which Fours can find superficial or insincere).

Sevens and Fives

Fives and Sevens have several characteristics in common.
Both Fives and Sevens are mental types, “living” most of the time in their heads (or their thinking function), though they do it in different ways.
Believing knowledge is power, Fives tend to think in terms of gathering and compartmentalizing information, and Sevens tend to think in terms of planning and interrelating and interconnecting ideas.
Sevens have a nonlinear way of thinking that gives them a talent for finding connections and parallels between dissimilar things, while Fives prioritize collecting and classifying information, especially about topics they have a strong interest in.
Furthermore, both Sevens and Fives have active imaginations and sincerely enjoy learning new things and pursuing intellectual interests.
Fives and Sevens both guard against becoming too committed in social interactions, Fives because they fear being drained by others’ needs, and Sevens because they like to have many options and dislike feeling limited.
In addition, people of both styles intellectualize; they avoid feelings by going into thinking and analysis and detaching from emotions.
There are also apparent differences between Fives and Sevens.
Sevens live in the future much of the time, in fantasies and plans about pleasurable activities yet to happen, while Fives don’t live in the future or think in terms of planning and play in this same way.
Sevens are relentlessly positive, habitually and automatically reframing negatives into positives, while Fives tend to be more removed and objective in their analysis of situations and events.
Sevens focus attention on having multiple options and limitless opportunities. In contrast, Fives focus on how to conserve energy and do what they have to do most economically, given their perception that their resources are limited. They feel at risk of being depleted.
In fact, Sevens have difficulty making commitments because having others depend on them makes them feel constrained, limited, and uncomfortable.
Fives are more able to make commitments precisely because they are so good at protecting their private space and making boundaries.
While Sevens are often very socially active and gregarious, Fives tend to make social promises much more carefully and to a minimal number of people.
When it comes to feelings, Sevens actively seek out excitement and stimulation as a way of avoiding emotions like frustration, discomfort, and sadness, whereas Fives merely detach from emotions, automatically letting them go and focusing instead on thoughts and ideas.
Sevens unconsciously deal with fear and anxiety by charming and disarming others. In contrast, Fives detach and withdraw from others to avoid interactions that might feel intrusive or inspire difficult feelings.

Sevens and Sixes

Sixes and Sevens have some traits in common.
Both are mental types and primarily thinking-oriented, though they think differently about different topics.
Sevens focus on planning future activities, new and interesting ideas, and interrelating and synthesizing information.
Sixes think about what might go wrong to prepare for it proactively, and they also think in contrarian terms, questioning ideas and opinions they hear from others to find what’s true or solve problems.
Sixes and Sevens are both quick thinkers, but with good imaginations, though Sixes tend to imagine worst-case scenarios, while Sevens imagine highly positive ones.
Both types are “fear types,” though they may or may not be aware of their fear.
In particular, Sevens and Counterphobic Sixes can look very much alike, as both moves toward threats in the environment to face dangers—the Seven with charm and an engaging presentation and the Counterphobic Six with strength and the willingness to intimidate.
People of both types can get caught up in thinking too much and not move into action, with Sixes becoming caught up in doubt and Sevens being distracted by new ideas and multiple options or not wanting to commit to (or be limited by) a specific course of action.
Sixes and Sevens also differ in specific ways.
Sevens tend to be very optimistic. At the same time, Sixes, who usually describe themselves as realistic, may look more pessimistic to outside observers when they draw attention to problems or threatening or negative possibilities.
Sevens have a sunny outlook and reframe situations in favorable terms, while Sixes tend to focus on what might go wrong so they can prepare for potential problems occurring.
Sevens and Sixes manage fears or concerns differently.
Sevens move toward the source of fear with charm and pleasantries to disarm the ominous threat with soft power, while Sixes tend to be vigilant and watchful to see the threat coming ahead of time so they can prepare to meet it.
Counterphobic Sixes tend to move toward threatening situations with strength. In contrast, phobic Sixes withdraw from them, and Social Sixes obey one kind of authority or another to cope with anxiety.
Sevens focus on positive possibilities and interesting and fun things to do—they want to maintain good feelings and avoid pain and discomfort.
Sixes can hardly avoid pain and discomfort as they focus on self-doubting, questioning ideas and seeming realities, and detecting potential dangers.
Sixes look for certainty and rarely if ever, find it, or find it and hang on to it.
Sevens are playful and adventurous, while Sixes are careful and strategic.
Sevens plan for fun, while Sixes prepare for dealing with problems.
Sevens see endless possibilities for interesting activities in an unconscious effort to keep a safe distance from anxiety and discomfort, while Sixes seeks problems to solve to feel safe.
Sixes tend to have problems with authorities—they can be questioning and suspicious of charges and also rebellious and challenging of tasks—while Sevens equalize authority and deny hierarchical power relationships, seeing themselves as being on the same level with and friendly with both superiors and subordinates.
Sevens expect success and have a confident presentation, while Sixes expect things to go wrong and may have a worried, even paranoid expression.
Sevens have difficulty with commitments, as they fear limits, while Sixes are very loyal, dedicated, and committed once they trust someone or something.

Sevens and Eights

Sevens and Eights can look alike.
Both types tend to be visionary thinkers, able to see the big picture and future possibilities.
Both can engage in conflict if necessary, though some Sevens feel more comfortable with confrontation than others.
Sevens and Eights can be uninhibited, indulgent, and excessive when seeking pleasure.
Both styles appreciate intense and stimulating experiences.
In interpersonal interactions, Sevens and Eights dislike being limited or controlled by others.
Individuals of both styles can be rebellious, though Eights will rebel more openly in a straightforward fashion, and Sevens prefer a charm-based, diplomatic approach.
Eights believes the best defense is a good offense. Sevens oppose potential limitation through soft power and the maintenance of multiple options, with charm as a first line of defense.
Both Sevens and Eights will break the rules if it suits their purposes, and both types can take on a great deal of work and overbook themselves.
For Sevens, overbooking represents a difficulty with saying no to exciting possibilities and engaging activities. For Eights, overworking can reflect a tendency to want to do everything and forget their physical needs and vulnerability.
Both Eights and Sevens avoid or deny softer, more vulnerable emotions, with Eights regularly denying their vulnerability and Sevens avoiding pain and discomfort.
Significant differences also exist between Sevens and Eights.
While Eights can be rebellious when someone has authority over them, they can also work with a good authority they respect and even enjoy being the leader.
In contrast, Sevens equalize authority, making friends with bosses and subordinates as a way of denying a vertical power structure that might constrain them.
Regarding where their attention goes, Eights focuses on power and control, while Sevens focus on planning and play.
While both types have access to their anger, Eights are more likely than Sevens to express anger.
Eights are direct and like to move things forward strongly and forcefully. Sevens can have difficulty focusing on work tasks and get distracted, especially when the work is tedious or routine.
Eights like to make an order and push projects forward quickly and effectively to their conclusion, while Sevens prefer the idea stage to the implementation stage and can have problems following through.
Sevens intellectualize to escape from feeling into thinking, finding difficult feelings uncomfortable, while Eights move into action without thinking things through.
Eights also deny softer feelings or project them onto those they perceive as weaker and then seek to protect.
Finally, when analyzing or evaluating a situation, Sevens reframe negatives into positives. At the same time, Eights aren’t afraid of seeing and dealing with the “negatives” and tend to see issues in terms of “all or nothing” or “black and white” polarities.

Sevens and Nines

Sevens and Nines can look alike because they share some common traits.
Both have friendly, optimistic dispositions.
When interacting with others, both have personable, affable styles and like to be around people.
Wanting to be liked, both Sevens and Nines tend to act in ways that make it easy for other people to like them.
Both like to keep things positive and avoid conflict if possible, though many Sevens can do conflict if necessary, and most Nines would prefer not to.
When performing tasks, both Sevens and Nines can have a hard time maintaining a clear focus on the job at hand, with Sevens typically being distracted by more interesting things to do and think about and Nines being frequently distracted by others’ agendas, environmental claims, and inessential tasks.
Sevens and Nines also differ in several respects.
While both styles are primarily if unconsciously, concerned with avoiding uncomfortable feelings, Sevens pursue excitement, self-indulgent activities, and fun things to avoid discomfort. In contrast, Nines neglect themselves and forget their opinions and desires to avoid experiencing anger and discomfort.
Sevens are fast-paced, high-energy characters, while Nines operate more relaxed, often experiencing inertia and indecision related to decisions and tasks.
When interacting with others, Sevens are self-referencing, focusing their attention mainly on their agenda; in contrast, Nines are other-referencing, paying attention primarily to others and not having a clear or direct experience of their desires.
Nines merge with others and align with other people’s agendas. At the same time, Sevens have a clear agenda that usually takes priority over other people’s plans when there is a conflict between them.
It’s usually easy for Sevens to know what they want, while it’s difficult for Nines to know what they want.
For a Nine, it’s easier to know what they don’t want than what they do want.
Nines typically don’t state their preferences—which they often don’t know—and then can become resentful of others whose agenda they passively follow along with when they deferred their own, even though they didn’t want to.
Sevens have their agendas and don’t let other people deter them from the things they want to do.

Career Advice

They can be excellent Comedians, Entertainers, Corporate Visionaries, Physical Therapists, Counselors, and Athletes.
They excel in occupations that require optimism, enthusiasm, and a quick mind.
Many sevens have several careers at once or jobs where they travel a lot: Pilots, Flight attendants, and Photographers.

Type 7 - The Enthusiast

Personality Type Cross-reference

Basic Desire

Basic Fear

Key Motivation

Core Wounds

Traits

Center of Intelligence

Focus of Attention

Patterns of Thinking and Feeling

Behavior Patterns

Passion—Gluttony

Arrows

Wings

Relationships

Addictions

Red Flags

Interpersonal Coping Style

Conflict Style

Self-Preservation Subtype

Social Subtype

One-to-One Subtype

Dilemma

Personal Growth

Color

Ego fixation

Virtue

Sevens and Ones

Sevens and Twos

Sevens and Threes

Sevens and Fours

Sevens and Fives

Sevens and Sixes

Sevens and Eights

Sevens and Nines

Career Advice