JOHARI WINDOW: WHAT IT IS FOR, RELATIONSHIP STYLES, HOW IT IS APPLIED - PSYCHOLOGY - 2024

The Johari Window is a psychological tool designed to help people better understand themselves and their relationship with others. It was designed in 1955 by psychologists Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham. Although it was originally used in self-help and self-discovery contexts, today it is also often used in business.

The idea behind the Johari window is that increasing self-knowledge and personal development is essential to achieve harmony both personally and among members of a group. This tool helps to achieve this goal as it allows a person to better understand herself and improve her communication with other individuals.

This technique is based on discovering information belonging to four different quadrants: the open space or free area, the blind area, the hidden area and the unknown area. The information in these quadrants differs mainly in whether the subject herself knows it, and whether the people around her are aware of it.

Today, the most important application of the Johari window technique is to help members of a group give feedback on their behavior to another member of the group, in the least invasive and offensive way possible. However, it can also be used as a self-discovery tool, and it can be very valuable in this regard.

What is the Johari window for?

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When a person decides to apply the Johari window tool, they are presented with a list of adjectives related to personal characteristics and personality traits that they may or may not possess. Among all these words, the individual has to choose those that he thinks most represent him.

Later on, people close to him (such as family, friends or co-workers) have to choose those adjectives with which they most identify him. Thus, by comparing the responses of everyone, the individual can discover a lot both about his own self-concept and about the vision that others have of him.

When this tool was created, the main objective of it was for the person to use it to learn more about their own traits, entering what is known as a "blind spot." All individuals have characteristics that we are not aware of, and the Johari window can help us bring some of them to light.

However, in work or business contexts this psychological tool is often used for other purposes. Generally, it is applied in a team context, in such a way that team members can give each other feedback and thus resolve any tension or conflict that may arise between them in the future.

In any case, the idea behind the Johari window is to promote self-knowledge, in such a way that those who apply this tool can better understand themselves and understand how the people around them see them.

Relationship styles

Within the Johari window technique, four areas or relationships are analyzed through which the individual receives feedback. Two of them have to do with the person's own vision of himself, and the other two are related to the ideas that the rest of the participants have about him.

The information is transferred from one panel to another as a result of the feedback that all the participants give each other, in such a way that the relationship between them improves and trust and openness among group members is fostered.

The four panels are given the following names: open space, blind spot, hidden area, and unknown area. Next we will see what each of them consists of.

1- Open space

This area or relationship reflects the information that the participant knows about himself. Other things include data about your attitudes, behaviors, feelings, emotions, abilities, and ways of seeing the world. Furthermore, in this area all the information is known to the rest of the participants.

Thus, in the open space most of the communications between the members of the activity take place. The more information that is included in this relationship, the more useful the feedback process will be and the more trust can be developed among all participants.

One of the main objectives of the Johari window is to increase the data that is in the open space, in such a way that both the blind spot and the hidden and unknown area decrease. In this way, more self-knowledge is generated and relationships between participants are improved.

2- Blind spot

In this quadrant you will find all the information about the person that is unknown to him or herself, but that is evident to the rest of the participants.

Discovering the data contained in this area is essential to promote self-discovery of the individual, as well as to improve communication with others in the event that any of these features is a source of conflict.

3- Hidden area

Within the quadrant known as the hidden area of ​​the Johari window, we find information that the person knows about himself but that others do not know. In this sense, we can find personal information that the individual has not wanted to reveal, such as past experiences, fears, secrets…

This area is generated because most people avoid revealing all important information about themselves. However, at certain times secrets can end up producing tension with the individuals around us, so the Johari window can help reveal sensitive issues that can improve communication with others.

4- Unknown area

The last quadrant included in the Johari window includes all the information that is unknown both to the person doing the exercise and to the rest of the participants. As in the rest of "relationships", here we can find all kinds of elements, such as ideas, thoughts, feelings, talents or capacities.

Because none of the participants are aware of the information in this quadrant, it is very difficult to reveal what it contains. However, through the process of feedback and self-discovery that the exercise encourages, it is possible to gradually reduce its contents.

How is the Johari window applied?

The Johari window application process is fairly straightforward in theory, although it can take a relatively large window of time to complete it. To begin, a person is chosen, who thus becomes the main participant. All activity will be completely focused on her.

The protagonist chooses adjectives

At the beginning of the process, the person is presented with a list of adjectives related to personality and emotional characteristics. Among all of them, you have to choose the five that you consider the most that can be applied to you, something that can be relatively difficult due to the large number of options available. Your choices will become part of the quadrant known as the hidden area.

The other participants choose adjectives

Later, several people close to the main participant will have to in turn choose five adjectives from those presented, but this time thinking about the ones that most apply to the individual who has started the exercise. The responses of these new participants will be compared with each other and with those of the beginning.

Quadrants are filled

At this point, the answers given by all the members of the group are used to fill in the three quadrants that can be worked on, excluding the unknown area.

Reflection

Finally, the person on whom the exercise is focused observes the results and reflects on the differences between their self-concept and the way others see them.

This process can be repeated as many times as necessary depending on the discoveries that are made in each of the rounds. In addition, group members can take the opportunity to talk to each other, debate, or express their opinions. This is especially the case when using the Johari window in a work or business setting.

Practical example

When starting a process from the Johari window, the main participant has to choose five adjectives from a list. Some of the most used in this activity are the following:

- Capable.

- Adaptable.

- Brave.

- Cheerful.

- Intelligent.

- Complex.

- Shy.

- Effective.

- Reliable.

- Calmed down.

- Nice.

- Loving.

- Organized.

- Patient.

As you can see, most adjectives would be considered positive by almost everyone. In this way, the person has to choose only those that he considers really relevant about himself, instead of trying to choose the ones that he thinks will most impress the rest.

Once you have made your choice, the chosen adjectives are placed in the quadrant known as the "hidden area" (see figure below). Then, the other participants choose five adjectives each, which are placed in the blind area if they have not been named by the person initially, or in the free area if they coincide with any of theirs.

Source: Gayle Gifford, Strategic insight of the Johari Window, 2016

In this way, the individual has a visual representation of the way they perceive themselves, in addition to the way others see them. After this, a debate may occur about why each person has made their choice, or an internal reflection in the case of an exercise done simply to improve self-knowledge.

References

1. "The Johari window model" in: Communication Theory. Retrieved on: January 24, 2020 from Communication Theory: communicationtheory.com.
2. "Understanding the Johari Window model" in: Self Awareness. Retrieved on: January 24, 2020 from Self Awareness: selfawareness.org.uk.
3. "Johari window model" in: Tools Hero. Retrieved on: January 24, 2020 from Tools Hero: toolshero.com.
4. "The 4 styles of relationships, according to the Johari Window" in: Psychology and Mind. Retrieved on: January 24, 2020 from Psychology and Mind: psicologiaymente.com.
5. "Johari Window" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: January 24, 2020 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.