The Johari Window is a theory that describes a way of understanding how much we know about ourselves that others may not know and how much others know about us that we may not clearly see. Finding out how others can contribute to the knowledge we have about ourselves can definitely help with our self-development.
The Johari window is a method for better understanding one’s relationship with oneself and others. It was developed by psychologists Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham in 1955 and is largely used as a diagnostic exercise in self-help groups and business settings. Using a mix of their first names, Luft and Ingham called their model Johari. In this blog post, I’ll go over the basics of the Johari Window and show you briefly how to use it.
Four area quadrants are used in the model: the public self, the private self, the hidden self, and the unknown self. As you get to know yourself better through introspection or discussions with others, these parts will overlap more and allow you to have an increasingly complete view of who you are as a person. Let’s quickly explore the four quadrants:
1. The Arena
Your open area, the public self, known in the theory as the “Arena”, contains anything you know about yourself, which others also know, or which you are prepared to discuss. Individuals can establish trust amongst themselves through sharing information and learn about others by the information they provide about themselves. With a sincere person who does not act out and who has a clear idea about her/himself, the Arena will be fairly large.
2. The Blind Spot
Your blind region, the hidden self, known in the theory as the “Blind Spot,” contains any element of yourself that you are unaware of but that others may be aware of. You may become conscious of some of your good and bad qualities as seen by others and address some of the personal difficulties that may be hindering your personal development and interactions within a team with the aid of input from others. Obviously, the smaller the Blind Spot is, the better the person will be able to judge her/himself.
3. The Façade
There are also parts of yourself about which you are aware, but others are not, and which you may not want others to become aware of. This quadrant, depicting the private self, is known in the theory as the “Façade” and is your concealed region. With people who are introverted rather than extroverted this area may be larger and vice versa.
4. The Unknown
This leaves only one region, containing the unknown self, which the theory refers to as the “Unknown” area: unknown to both you and others. This is where the subconscious mind resides and is the subject matter of most investigations in psychology. Pealing off the many layers in this area is obviously anything but trivial.
What it all Means
The important point to understand is that the proportions of the four quadrants are not fixed and can shift. You might wish to share a previously secret element of your life with someone. Perhaps you don’t feel at ease speaking in public and you share this information about yourself with others. This would expand your Arena while reducing your Façade. It’s also feasible to expand your Arena by requesting comments from others. When you receive honest feedback, you can minimize the size of your Blind Spot. For example, you may unknowingly be interrupting others before they’ve finished speaking, which may be irritating to them. Or people may want to chat with you all the time because you are an excellent listener. In short, you may not be aware of certain parts of your personality until they are brought to your attention. Working with others allows you to uncover things that you may previously not have understood and others, in turn, to understand you better.
From a practical standpoint, there are two phases to deploying the Johari Window.
How to Use the Johari Window
The Arena is a good place to start in the Johari Window.
Ask yourself: What are your strengths and shortcomings, and how can you improve them? What are you willing to share with others and are comfortable with? Try to be open and honest about what you already know about yourself.
After that, include others and request their input about how they see you.
Prepare to give it some serious thought. That doesn’t mean you have to follow every suggestion, but you should at least listen and consider them. Then express gratitude to the individual who offered the feedback for their time and effort.
Depending on your level of confidence, you may want to conduct this in a group or as a one-on-one activity. It’s important to remember that providing good feedback is a talent, and some individuals are naturally better at it than others.
Respectfully receive comments, listen, and consider what has been stated. It’s possible that after facing criticism, you’ll want to dig further into it, which will lead to self-discovery.
The goal is to minimize the regions that you are unfamiliar with as much as possible. You may decrease your Blind Spot by getting input from others while also hoping to make some discoveries in your uncharted territory.
As for the Façade, it’s entirely up to you how much of your persona you want to expose and how much you want to keep hidden. But consider that greater interpersonal closeness and relationship may result from the revelation of personal information.
Conclusion
I hope that having learned about the Johari Window will help you develop as a person and also help you further your career through understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. The Johari Window can be used in teams and corporate settings to improve communication between members through mutual understanding.
Leave a comment and let me know if I missed any important points, as well as share your thoughts and opinions on the subject.