The self
arises out of self-appraisal and the appraisal of others and represents
each individual’s unique pattern of values, attitudes, beliefs, emotions,
behaviours, and needs. Self awareness is
the recognition of these aspects and understanding about their impact on the
self and others.The Johari Window is a representation of the self and a tool
that can be used to increase self awareness(Luft,1970)
A Johari window
is a cognitive
psychological tool
created by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham in 1955 in the United States, used to help
people better understand their interpersonal communication and relationships. It is used primarily in self-help groups and corporate settings as a heuristic exercise.
When performing the exercise,
subjects are given a list of 56 adjectives and pick five or six that they feel
describe their own personality. Peers of the subject are then given the same
list, and each pick five or six adjectives that describe the subject. These
adjectives are then mapped onto a grid.
Charles Handy calls this concept the Johari House with
four rooms. Room 1 is the part of ourselves that we see and others see. Room 2
is the aspects that others see but we are not aware of. Room 3 is the most
mysterious room in that the unconscious or subconscious part of us is seen by
neither ourselves nor others. Room 4 is our private space, which we know but
keep from others.
Much, much more has been written
on the Johari window model of human interaction. The process of enlarging the
open quadrant is called self-disclosure, a give and take process between me and
the people I interact with. Typically, as I share something about myself
(moving information from my hidden quadrant into the open) and if the other
party is interested in getting to know me, they will reciprocate, by similarly
disclosing information in their hidden quadrant. Thus, an interaction between
two parties can be modeled dynamically as two active Johari windows.
Known to Self
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Not Known to Self
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Known to Others
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Not Known to Others
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Quadrants
Open: Adjectives that are selected by both the
participant and his or her peers are placed into the Open quadrant. This
quadrant represents traits of the subjects that both they and their peers are
aware of.
Hidden: Adjectives selected only by subjects, but
not by any of their peers, are placed into the Hidden quadrant,
representing information about them their peers are unaware of. It is then up
to the subject to disclose this information or not.
Blind Spot: Adjectives that are not selected by
subjects but only by their peers are placed into the Blind Spot
quadrant. These represent information that the subject is not aware of, but
others are, and they can decide whether and how to inform the individual about
these "blind spots".
Unknown: Adjectives that were not selected by either subjects or their peers
remain in the Unknown quadrant, representing the participant's behaviors
or motives that were not recognized by anyone participating. This may be
because they do not apply or because there is collective ignorance of the
existence of these traits
The Johari Window, named after the
first names of its inventors, Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham, is one of the most
useful models describing the process of human interaction. A four paned
"window," as illustrated above, divides personal awareness into four
different types, as represented by its four quadrants: open, hidden, blind, and
unknown. The lines dividing the four panes are like window shades, which can
move as an interaction progresses.
In this model, each person is represented by their own window. Let's describe mine:
1. The "open" quadrant represents things that both I know about myself, and that you know about me. For example, I know my name, and so do you, and if you have explored some of my website, you know some of my interests. The knowledge that the window represents, can include not only factual information, but my feelings, motives, behaviors, wants, needs and desires... indeed, any information describing who I am. When I first meet a new person, the size of the opening of this first quadrant is not very large, since there has been little time to exchange information. As the process of getting to know one another continues, the window shades move down or to the right, placing more information into the open window, as described below.
2. The "blind" quadrant represents things that you know about me, but that I am unaware of. So, for example, we could be eating at a restaurant, and I may have unknowingly gotten some food on my face. This information is in my blind quadrant because you can see it, but I cannot. If you now tell me that I have something on my face, then the window shade moves to the right, enlarging the open quadrant's area. Now, I may also have blindspots with respect to many other much more complex things. For example, perhaps in our ongoing conversation, you may notice that eye contact seems to be lacking. You may not say anything, since you may not want to embarrass me, or you may draw your own inferences that perhaps I am being insincere. Then the problem is, how can I get this information out in the open, since it may be affecting the level of trust that is developing between us? How can I learn more about myself? Unfortunately, there is no readily available answer. I may notice a slight hesitation on your part, and perhaps this may lead to a question. But who knows if I will pick this up, or if your answer will be on the mark.
3. The "hidden" quadrant represents things that I know about myself, that you do not know. So for example, I have not told you, nor mentioned anywhere on my website, what one of my favorite ice cream flavors is. This information is in my "hidden" quadrant. As soon as I tell you that I love "Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia" flavored ice cream, I am effectively pulling the window shade down, moving the information in my hidden quadrant and enlarging the open quadrant's area. Again, there are vast amounts of information, virtually my whole life's story, that has yet to be revealed to you. As we get to know and trust each other, I will then feel more comfortable disclosing more intimate details about myself. This process is called: "Self-disclosure."
4. The "unknown" quadrant represents things that neither I know about myself, nor you know about me. For example, I may disclose a dream that I had, and as we both attempt to understand its significance, a new awareness may emerge, known to neither of us before the conversation took place. Being placed in new situations often reveal new information not previously known to self or others. For example, I learned of the Johari window at a workshop conducted by a Japanese American psychiatrist in the early 1980's. During this workshop, he created a safe atmosphere of care and trust between the various participants. Usually, I am terrified of speaking in public, but I was surprised to learn that in such an atmosphere, the task need not be so daunting. Prior to this event, I had viewed myself and others had also viewed me as being extremely shy. (The above now reminds me of a funny joke, which I cannot refrain from telling you. It is said that the number one fear that people have is speaking in public. Their number two fear is dying. And the number three fear that people have, is dying while speaking in public.) Thus, a novel situation can trigger new awareness and personal growth. The process of moving previously unknown information into the open quadrant, thus enlarging its area, has been likened to Maslow's concept of self-actualization. The process can also be viewed as a game, where the open quadrant is synonymous with the win-win situation.
In this model, each person is represented by their own window. Let's describe mine:
1. The "open" quadrant represents things that both I know about myself, and that you know about me. For example, I know my name, and so do you, and if you have explored some of my website, you know some of my interests. The knowledge that the window represents, can include not only factual information, but my feelings, motives, behaviors, wants, needs and desires... indeed, any information describing who I am. When I first meet a new person, the size of the opening of this first quadrant is not very large, since there has been little time to exchange information. As the process of getting to know one another continues, the window shades move down or to the right, placing more information into the open window, as described below.
2. The "blind" quadrant represents things that you know about me, but that I am unaware of. So, for example, we could be eating at a restaurant, and I may have unknowingly gotten some food on my face. This information is in my blind quadrant because you can see it, but I cannot. If you now tell me that I have something on my face, then the window shade moves to the right, enlarging the open quadrant's area. Now, I may also have blindspots with respect to many other much more complex things. For example, perhaps in our ongoing conversation, you may notice that eye contact seems to be lacking. You may not say anything, since you may not want to embarrass me, or you may draw your own inferences that perhaps I am being insincere. Then the problem is, how can I get this information out in the open, since it may be affecting the level of trust that is developing between us? How can I learn more about myself? Unfortunately, there is no readily available answer. I may notice a slight hesitation on your part, and perhaps this may lead to a question. But who knows if I will pick this up, or if your answer will be on the mark.
3. The "hidden" quadrant represents things that I know about myself, that you do not know. So for example, I have not told you, nor mentioned anywhere on my website, what one of my favorite ice cream flavors is. This information is in my "hidden" quadrant. As soon as I tell you that I love "Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia" flavored ice cream, I am effectively pulling the window shade down, moving the information in my hidden quadrant and enlarging the open quadrant's area. Again, there are vast amounts of information, virtually my whole life's story, that has yet to be revealed to you. As we get to know and trust each other, I will then feel more comfortable disclosing more intimate details about myself. This process is called: "Self-disclosure."
4. The "unknown" quadrant represents things that neither I know about myself, nor you know about me. For example, I may disclose a dream that I had, and as we both attempt to understand its significance, a new awareness may emerge, known to neither of us before the conversation took place. Being placed in new situations often reveal new information not previously known to self or others. For example, I learned of the Johari window at a workshop conducted by a Japanese American psychiatrist in the early 1980's. During this workshop, he created a safe atmosphere of care and trust between the various participants. Usually, I am terrified of speaking in public, but I was surprised to learn that in such an atmosphere, the task need not be so daunting. Prior to this event, I had viewed myself and others had also viewed me as being extremely shy. (The above now reminds me of a funny joke, which I cannot refrain from telling you. It is said that the number one fear that people have is speaking in public. Their number two fear is dying. And the number three fear that people have, is dying while speaking in public.) Thus, a novel situation can trigger new awareness and personal growth. The process of moving previously unknown information into the open quadrant, thus enlarging its area, has been likened to Maslow's concept of self-actualization. The process can also be viewed as a game, where the open quadrant is synonymous with the win-win situation.
The Open or Public self
The upper left quadrant of the window
represents the part of the self that is public; that is, aspects of the self
about which both the individual and others are aware.
Example:
Susan,
a nurse who is the adult child of an alcoholic, has strong feelings about helping alcoholics to achieve sobriety. She
volunteers her time to be a support person on call to help recovering
alcoholics. She is aware of her feelings and her desire to help others. Members of the
Alcoholic Anonymous group in which she
volunteers he time are also aware of Susan’s feelings and they feel comfortable
calling her when they need help refraining from drinking.
The Unknowing Self
The
upper right (blind) quadrant of the
window represents the part of the self
that is known to others but remains hidden from the awareness of the
individual.
Example:
When
Susan takes care of patients in detox, she does so without emotion, tending to
the technical aspects of the task in a way that clients perceive as cold and
judgemental. She is unaware that she comes across to the clients in this way.
The Private Self
The
lower left quadrant of the window represents the part of the self that is known
to the individual, but which the individual deliberately and consciously
conceals from others.
Example: Susan would prefer not to take care
of the clients in detoxo because doing so provokes painful memories from her
childhood. Because she does not want the other staff members to know about
these feelings, however,she volunteers
to take care of the detox clients whenever they are assigned to her unit.
The Unknown Self
The
lower right quadrant of the window represents the part of the self that is
unknown to both the individual and to others.
Example:
Susan
felt very powerless as a child growing up with an alcoholic father. She seldom knew in what condition she would
find her father or what his behaviour would be .The need to stay in control has
always been very important to Susan and
she is unaware that working with recovering alcoholics helps to fulfil this
need in her .The people she is helping are also unaware that Susan is
satisfying an unfulfilled personal need as she provides them with assistance.
The
goal of increasing self-awareness by using the Johari Window is to increase the size of the quadrant that represents the open or public self. The
individual who is open to self and others has the ability to be spontaneous and
to share emotions and experiences with others. This individual also has a
greater understanding of personal behaviour and of other’s responses to him or
her. Increased self awareness allows an individual to interact with others
comfortably, to accept the differences in others, and to observe each person’s
right to respect and dignity.
Johari adjectives
A Johari window consists of the
following 56 adjectives used as possible descriptions of the participant. In
alphabetical order they are:
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CONCLUSION
The
Johari Window, named after the first names of its inventors, Joseph Luft and
Harry Ingham, is one of the most useful models describing the process of human
interaction.
REFERENCES
Townsend
M.C , Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing,Concepts of care inEvidence Based
practice, 5th edn,JaypeePublication,110-111
Luft, J.; Ingham, H. (1955). "The Johari window, a
graphic model of interpersonal awareness". Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johari_window 3.6.2011
Kelly,
Anita E. and McKillop, Kevin J. (1996), "Consequences of Revealing
Personal Secrets." Psychological Bulletin, v120(3), pg. 450
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