Enneagram 8w7 Personality or most commonly called nonconformists or leaders, is one of the rarest personality types. This type of personality highly values control and independence. They want to remain in control of their own lives and hate it when things seem uncontrollable. They are futuristic who sets great goals for themselves, and they aggressively work to achieve them. They are great leaders but are mostly misjudged as bossy. They are more rational than emotional. They tagged emotions as weakness, which makes it hard for them to express their agony in life.
The basic knowledge about this personality type is that they fear control. If you ever know someone who has this personality type or found it yourself that you are a nonconformist, you might be wondering what career path you would take, considering how you hate being controlled and how you want to be in control. In this article, you’ll get to know yourself more and the career paths that would work best for you. Nobody wants to work on something they do not enjoy after all, right?
Enneagram 8w7 Personality
Before indulging in nonconformist’s potential career path, let us consider first the overview of their personality – their fears, desires, traits, strengths, weaknesses, motivations, and what makes them feel stressed.
Fear
The eight with a seven-wing fear being controlled by others. Being a nonconformist explains it all. Nonconformists tend to dislike authority and prefer to work alone. They feel like they cannot be able to unleash their potential if they are being watched for. In a nonconformist’s nature, it is to explore themselves alone to reach the peak of themselves’ awareness. They want to mind their own business, and they also do want others to do the same.
Desire
As much as they fear being controlled, they desire to remain in control of their own lives. It is their ultimate goal to work on themselves – for themselves. They tend to be happier when they feel like they control whatever is happening in their lives. Do they want to dress oddly? Then be it. Show support, and acknowledge that they are doing great with whatever they are doing. Nonconformists’ common defense mechanism is denying their vulnerability. They hate being perceived as weak since they do not want to let others know that their plans are not working and that they fail to remain in control of their lives. They avoid situations that make them feel weak and defenseless.
Traits of Enneagram 8w7 Personality
Enneagram 8w7 personalities tend to advocate for the rights of others. Their willingness and desire to take control of their life manifests in their act of defense. They highly value the respect of rights, and they wanted others to acknowledge its importance too. They also tend to think practically and creatively. Their natural desire to control and achieve their dreams makes them think realistically to avoid situations that may cause them to lose control and stumble.
Autonomy is one of the things that they value the most. They are independent and want to remain independent while remaining to make reasonable decisions. Nonconformists also dream big and are idealistic. They love setting goals for themselves because that makes them feel being on track. Since they value autonomy the most, they struggle to be emotionally honest and expose vulnerability. They are self-reliant and being able to take challenges without failing. They have a strong will-power and can lead people effectively without them feeling being controlled. They have this charm of leadership where people are naturally attracted to.
Nonconformists also value their relationship with their family and friends, they might seem aloof, but they dearly love the people who support them. They are on the constant lookout for their loved ones and cares for them deeply. They believe that being strong-willed and tenacity would prevent uncontrollable things from carrying them away from their goals. They hate being vulnerable and even attempt to control their emotions because they believe that showing too many emotions and letting emotions take the lead of their lives would only lead to a disaster. They acknowledge that emotions may be a part of life but must not be the basis in making decisions.
Strengths
Just like any other personality type, Enneagram 8w7 also has its own strengths and blind spots. All of these might not apply to every 8w7 because diversity is present. However, the strengths that are closely associated with Enneagram 8w7 includes:
- Logical. Nonconformists think rationally, which makes them wise decision-makers. They are truly independent, but they rarely slack off. They stick to being logical and realistic when making decisions, and they carefully avoid situations that would destroy their sense of independence.
- Form connections with others. Despite being independent and wanting to work alone, nonconformists also value their relationships with others. They are great at taking the initiative to create a connection with others.
- Good leader. Since nonconformist desires to be the one in control, that makes them a great leader, a good leader. They do not use power to turn others down, but instead, they utilize such opportunities to inspire others and lead them effectively. They want to help others prosper and recognize the beauty of being independent and knowing to walk on their own feet; it makes them feel proud.
- Opinionated. Their autonomous nature makes them opinionated. They always have something to say, especially on social issues and their core niche. They love to speak from their mind and are not afraid to express and share it with others. However, they are not pushy with their opinions are respected other’s opinions and thoughts as well.
Weaknesses
- Impatient. Nonconformists want to remain in control that when they are faced with uncontrollable situations, it frustrates them. They tend to keep a timetable of their plans and a detailed task doing. When an unforeseen situation occurs, they tend to be impatient easily and get frustrated.
- Uncooperative. As very opinionated individuals, nonconformists find it hard to cooperate and listen to authority figures, especially when they do not know what is going on and why they need to do such things. They are hesitant to do something when they do not see any sense of it. They are not afraid of authority figures and stick to their principles even if it means being uncooperative.
- Insensitive. Their idealistic and practical nature somewhat makes them appeal insensitive to other’s feelings. Nonconformists are less emotional and value rationality more. They do not want to be overly emotional since they perceive it as a weakness.
Motivations
Knowing your motivations is just as important as knowing your strengths. Your motivators will help you get energized whenever dissatisfaction and stress overwhelm you. Below are the typical motivators of nonconformists’ personality type:
- Spend time with others. Expressing their opinions and obtaining a feeling that they are heard is one of the nonconformist’s motivators. Spending time with others while sharing and exchanging thoughts is a charge of energy for some nonconformists.
- Freedom from work. When nonconformists work with an employer, it stresses them, especially when they are authoritative and want to dictate to others. Hence, freedom and rest from work are a must for them. If not, they might end up feeling burned out, which would then decrease their work quality. Nonconformists tend to feel more motivated when they work freely at their own pace.
- Exercising. Nonconformists feel drained when their thoughts and frustrations are pent-up, so they exert such things through exercising. They go for a jog, or even just a simple walk would make them feel calm and collected, ready to take another challenge.
Stress
- Acknowledging their own emotions. Nonconformists perceive emotionality as a weakness. They believe that being too emotional would hinder them from thinking rationally and critically. As much as they can, they dismiss their emotions. However, we all know that emotions are part of living, and when we disregard and neglect what our mind needs, we feel stressed. That’s what typically happens to nonconformists. They are strong-willed and rational, but they tend to overdo it. By the time that they reach their limit, and they need to acknowledge and reconcile with their emotions, they seem stressed doing it.
- Wrongly judged. Others usually misjudge Nonconformists who desire to control their lives, which makes them feel stressed. Their intent to provide innovative plans may be misperceived as them being bossy and controlling. Nonconformists get stressed over misperceptions about them; they hate being called bossy or controlling because they feel like they are just trying to be efficient by formulating and sharing innovative plans with a group.
- The self-pity of others. As mentioned, nonconformists are less emotional. They got stressed over someone else’s self-pity because they believed it was merely a lack of action and negligence. They do not validate the concept of “this is just what I can do” because they believe that everything can be learned when you really want to. Such reasons would only frustrate them.
Relationships
Different people manage their relationships differently, which usually depends on what type of person they are. Nonconformists manage their relationships different from other personality types. Let us consider how to communicate well with a nonconformist, what they are like as friends, and as a romantic partner.
Communication
Enneagram type 8w7 wants to communicate logically and directly. They do not want to engage in small and nonsense talks. They love to talk about futuristic plans and ideals. They are straightforward and good listeners. If you are looking for someone to vent out your feelings with, your nonconformist friend might not be the best one since they hate emotions; they categorized emotionality as weakness, remember?
When you are having a nonconformist meeting, you can observe them when they are trying to redirect unrelated chitchats and address the meeting’s purpose purposely. They are focused and planned. Their time is valuable for them since they might already plan what they will do for a day. Hence, arranging meetings with them will go directly, achieving the meeting’s purpose.
It is important to welcome the nonconformist’s thoughts and opinions. They do not want to feel insignificant, and they want others to value their opinion. It is not such an issue if you have a different opinion about a matter, but it is an issue for them if you will attack their opinions as if we all should have a similar opinion.
When giving feedback with a nonconformist, it is important to be respectful and encouraging. They tend to be more open-minded when you give feedback in a ‘sandwich’ manner – starting with positive feedback such as acknowledging their time and effort to do the task, followed by negative feedback such as addressing a matter that needs to be improved, and closing it with positive feedback by showing support and providing ways to address improvements.
Resolving conflict with a nonconformist is easy as long as you omit unnecessary claims because that might only worsen the situation. Instead, express your perspective clearly and in a logical manner, listen to theirs and discuss the conflict until you both reach an agreement.
Friendship
Nonconformists are highly ambitious and interested in accumulating a lot of resources that they can utilize. They pursue desires aggressively and would most likely achieve their goals. In friendship, they might be empathetic and would actively listen to your rants, but too much of it would be stressful for them. They value rationality and critical thinking rather than being emotionality and sensitivity. Nonconformist friends are most likely active in school organizations and desire to be an active leader. They want to constantly put their ideas into action and are highly detailed in everything they do.
They are honest and straightforward. If you are indecisive and want to be critically assessed, you can turn to your nonconformist friend for honest advice and feedback. They are not good at sugarcoating what they want to say and often want to speak directly without unnecessary and irrelevant thought filler. They also tend to socialize with futuristic friends like them. They crave a mature companion that would be a help and support for them in pursuing their goals.
Romantic Relationship
As mentioned, nonconformists are less emotional, and they consider it as a weakness. However, they still fall just as hard as everyone else. They might not be the type of clingy partner and an expressive one, but they still feel love deeply. They are highly committed and loyal to their partner. They are devoted to making the relationship work and handle their partner maturely.
When they like someone, they aggressively want to have them. Their competitive nature and aggressive craving for goal would explain that. They would work hard for their partner and care for them, providing support at all costs.
They are independent, even in relationships. They are good at giving space to their partner when needed, and they hate to suffocate others with their presence. They seek a mature partner, most likely their equal – someone who can support them and at the same time not trying to control them; they hate being controlled. One thing that a nonconformist value in a relationship is deep mental connections.
Deep conversations are what make them constantly feel interested. They become emotionally invested when someone can talk with them deeply. Since they are unlikely to express their emotions, they need someone patient enough and someone who would understand them.
Nonconformists’ common struggle in a relationship is when they feel like their partner is controlling them. This trait of theirs makes them seem bossy in relationships, so they really need someone who is not pushy of their authority and dominance. If they are dating someone pushy, they will most likely be unhappy in that relationship and end it. That is how they highly value their sense of self.
Despite being emotionally expressive individuals, it does not mean that they are incapable of doing it; they just really struggle about it and need someone who is patient and would not take such behavior personally and wrongly. They appreciate partners who respect individuality and independence. They want to keep everything balanced, even in relationships.
Career
When looking for a job or deciding what career path to choose, it is essential to have self-awareness before taking and doing just any job. Making decisions without thinking rationally might result in job-hopping and an unsatisfied work environment. Such things are such a nuisance and stressful. It is time to consider the best and worst career path a nonconformist could take.
Best Career Paths
Enneagram 8w7 or the nonconformists are strongly driven with plans and actions; they are powerful people with a strong sense of passion to pursuing new opportunities or even creating one. They have big dreams and are committed to work for them and live their dreams. They thrive in situations that encourage their idealism. Below are the best career paths a nonconformist could take
- Activists – being confident is in their nature. Nonconformists also highly value human rights, and they do well at accumulating support and engagements. They love to help others voice out their concerns, and they encourage others to speak for themselves. Hence, nonconformists might enjoy this job.
- Entrepreneur – considering nonconformists’ rationality and logical thinking, being an entrepreneur might be the one for them. They love to remain in control of everything who want everything to fall according to their will and timetable. Entrepreneurs require such skill – being logical and less emotional, just like the nonconformists.
- Lawyer – most strengths of a nonconformist is useful in the field of law. They are best in terms of expressing their opinions, how much more the facts. Being a lawyer might not be just a simple job for them, but it would also serve as their way of helping others speak up for themselves.
- Politician – the perfect job that nonconformist’s natural soft skill be of use.
- Program Managers – Nonconformists, have a ‘can-do attitude and hate reasons rooted in self-pity, which is necessary for this job. Program managers need to be strong leaders ahead of an entire program who oversee the various and diverse teams for a project.
- Athletes – being competitive is innate among nonconformists, a necessary skill as an athlete.
Worst Career Paths
These jobs might not be enjoyable for nonconformists, most of it requires coordination and following orders – something that nonconformists hate.
- Secretary – the secretary’s main job is to follow orders and do tasks as said, making nonconformists uncomfortable.
- Co-hosts – nonconformists want to control; they might steal the main host’s spotlight if they do this job.
- Editorial Assistant – an editorial assistant’s job is to accept professionally receptive feedback and constructive criticism, which might not be best for nonconformists who have a high sense of self-value.
Here are some key points to remember about type 8w7 personality; they:
- Are ambitious and goal-driven.
- They prefer to follow their own path, so they want to work as well at their own pace.
- Hate being controlled.
- Need independence and respect.
- Aggressively work towards their goals.
- Are competitive.
- They are good leaders who naturally encourage and uplift others.
- Hate being misjudged as bossy.
- Are straightforward and direct.
- Have difficulty expressing their innermost thoughts and emotions.
- Are more of a rational side than an emotional one.
- Want jobs where they are in control, such as being an entrepreneur.
- Are good at making logical plans and decisions.
Remember, 8w7 Enneagram personality types are just as valuable as other types. Humans are naturally diverse, and that what makes us unique and rare in our own ways.
Also read INFJ Careers: Best Jobs for INFJ personality
