Understanding the Johari Window

Transcription

1 1 Understanding the Johari Window Learning Outcomes By the end of this module the learner will have: Reviewed the principles of the Johari Window Gained an understanding of how the Johari can be a useful tool Reviewed an exercise to use the Johari Window for increased self-awareness The Johari Window is a useful model for understanding interpersonal communications and self-awareness, and in particular the relationship with one other person. The name comes from a combination of the surnames of the two psychologists who developed the tool: Joe Luft and Harry Ingham. They presented the Johari Window as four panes: Known to others Known to Self Public (also called Arena or Open area) Unknown to Self Blind spot Unknown to others Private self (also called Façade or Hidden Area) Unknown Modified from accessed 19 January Public self (also called The Arena, or Open area): This contains the characteristics of the person, of which he/she is aware, and of which others are also aware. For example, visual characteristics that are in his pane include gender, height etc.

2 2 Blind self: This pane contains the characteristics of the person that are known to others, but not known by the person themselves. For example, a colleague may blush whenever speaking in team meetings at work, but be unaware of this. Private self (also called The Facade or Hidden area): This is the individual s knowledge about themselves which is not revealed to others. For example, someone who keeps their snake phobia a secret. Unknown self: This includes characteristics of the individual that are unknown both to him/her and to others. There might be aspects of an individual s character in this pane that affect the relationship with another individual, even though neither party is aware of those characteristics. How the Johari Window Changes The relative size of each section can change. When two individuals meet for the first time, they are each unaware of the other s public self, but will quickly learn information contained in that pane based on appearance, how they are introduced and what they say about themselves. In a similar way, we may also learn information about ourselves, through our interactions with others. For example, this may be because we are confronted with a situation which we have never encountered before and so we discover for the first time how we feel about certain situations, and how we react. The unknown self can be modified through new experiences, meeting new people, or being exposed to new ideas. Diminishing the size of the unknown self may include enlarging the private self, and /or the public self. For example, I may go to the viewing platform of a very tall building such as The Shard in London. When I reach the platform, I begin to realise that I am very frightened of heights. I might tell my companion that I am not enjoying being so high. Sharing this information enlarges the public pane. However, I may decide not to say that in fact I am absolutely terrified and feel nauseous and dizzy. This enlarges the private self. This example demonstrates how the panes, or sections, of the Johari Window also change over the medium- to long-term span of a relationship. It is not just during the first burst of discovery that changes take place although this is naturally a significant time. What this means for mutual understanding We should all be aiming to diminish the blind self and unknown self panes, as this means that we are learning about ourselves, and increasing our self-awareness. This enables us to

3 3 make better decisions for ourselves and build relationships with others on understanding. Some of what we learn about ourselves may enlarge only the private self and we may make a conscious decision not to enlarge the public pane as well. In the example above of climbing The Shard, I may feel that it is not appropriate to share my terror if I am with a young child, or a client of the company I work for. However, if I am with a trusted friend or my life-partner, then I may not hesitate to immediately place all of the feelings I am experiencing in the public pane. Similarly, what we see in the public pane is not necessarily a true representation of the person. The person I am with at the top of a tall building may see a public pane that suggests I am merely slightly uncomfortable with heights. We can also assist others in modifying their Johari Window for their benefit, and to increase their self-awareness. For example: 1) Through helping someone to understand parts of their blind self i.e. what other people know about them, but they do not know about themselves. For example, Jess may feel that he/she has difficulty expressing thoughts and opinions clearly over the telephone. You may believe that in fact Jess speaks clearly, at an appropriate speed, and just occasionally hesitates. By giving honest, detailed feedback, you are enabling Jess to enlarge the public self and therefore be more self-aware. As an outside observer, you may be aware of facets of someone like Jess that have not been observed by other people in his/her life, so this role can be very valuable. However, we should only make others aware of their blind self if we believe that this will be a positive experience for them. We gave an example above of a colleague blushing when speaking in team meetings. However, if someone were to point this out, it is likely to make the colleague self-conscious. The colleague is unlikely to be able to control the blushing and so he/she may just avoid speaking in meetings altogether. 2) An individual may also enlarge their public self by diminishing the parts of themselves in the unknown area. You can assist someone such as Jess with this by exposing them to ideas or experiences which are completely new. For example, if Jess has never experienced a job interview, you may decide to do a mock interview with him/her to open up the experience and give some insight into how Jess feels, and reacts.

4 4 Activity 1 Try drawing what your Johari Window looks like in relation to a variety of people for example your manager, partner, friends and family members. Can you identify recent moments in the relationships where there was a change in the panes? For example, you revealed something about yourself to one of these people, or discovered something about yourself through your interaction with them. Using the Johari Window One way of using the Johari Window is as part of an exercise using adjectives. An individual (Person A) selects an agreed number of adjectives from a list (for example 6 adjectives) to describe him/herself and then invites a colleague, friend, or family member (Person B) to also select 6 adjectives that they believe describes Person A. The chosen adjectives are then mapped onto the Johari Window. Adjectives chosen by both Person A and Person B are in the public arena of Person A. Adjectives chosen only by Person A are in his/her private pane and adjectives chosen only by Person B are in the blind area. The remaining objectives, which are chosen by neither Person A nor Person B are in the unknown area. This may be because they do not apply to Person A or because they have not yet been revealed to either him/her or to Person B. Once the adjectives have been plotted, the way is paved for open discussion between the individual (Person A) and the person giving feedback (Person B), if desired. able accepting adaptable bold brave calm caring cheerful clever complex confident dependable extroverted friendly giving happy helpful idealistic independent ingenious intelligent introverted kind knowledgeable mature modest nervous observant organized patient powerful proud quiet reflective relaxed religious self-assertive self-conscious sensible sentimental shy silly smart spontaneous sympathetic tense trustworthy warm

5 5 dignified energetic logical loving responsive searching wise witty TIP: Try out the Johari Window adjective exercise for yourself, with one or more colleagues, friends or family. What differences do you notice? Concluding Reflection Points Take a few moments to reflect on what you have taken away from this worksheet. When answering the questions below, think about the different aspects of your life (work, family, hobbies etc.) and how you could use different learning points in each of these contexts. 1. What were the key learning points for me? 2. What learning points will I aim to use within the next week? 3. What learning points will I aim to use within the next four weeks? 4. What learning points will I aim to use within the next 3 months? 5. What action steps will I take to use these learning points? See also: Giving Effective Feedback Further resources: