The Johari Window

There are aspects of our personality that we are aware of, and others that we are not. Two phycologists, Luft and Ingham, came up with a model for councelling and a cognitive phycological tool called the Johari window and it works as follows.

1 The Public area contains things that are openly known and talked about and which may be seen as strengths and weaknesses. This is the self we choose to share with others.

2 The blind area contains things that others observe that we don’t know about. They could be negative or positive behaviours and affect how others act towards us.

3 The hidden area is private and contains the aspects that we know about but may choose to keep to ourselves.

4 The unknown area is information we don’t know and others don’t know. They may be subconscious and may emerge when we learn or reveal more about ourselves.

When we ask for feedback we extend area 1 into 2

If we share more about ourselves we extend area 1 into area 3

This can me a good process model to complement your active listening skills and to help you draw out the person to become more self aware.

To find out more about the Johari process, visit The University of the West of England