In my early journey of self-awareness, one of the hardest pieces of feedback I ever received was about my sense of humor specifically, my use of coarse jokes. I’ve always found myself entertaining people, even from a young age. Later, I discovered I was a sanguine personality type. We often begin talking before fully deciding what we want to say.
However, after university, I kept hearing the same message from different people: I needed to be more considerate. Slowly, I began to understand that what is funny to me might not be funny especially if the subject of the joke isn’t comfortable. Those who know me well can probably agree I’ve grown in that area. Right? At some point, even my wife worried that my public talks had lost their spark without my usual colorful illustrations.
But I never fully appreciated the Johari Window model until I stopped defending myself and started using it to refine my behavior, communication, and relationships.
What is the Johari Window?
The Johari Window is a simple but powerful tool for helping people understand themselves and improve how they relate to others (Luft & Ingham, 1955). It’s often used in group settings to build trust, increase self-awareness, and improve communication.
This model is also known as the feedback/disclosure model of self-awareness, and it’s based on two key ideas:
- You can build trust by sharing information about yourself with others.
- You can grow through learning what others observe about you (Zuboff, 2020).
Each person is represented through four “windows” or areas of knowledge that cover personal traits, emotions, motivations, and experiences. These windows help us understand what we know—and don’t know—about ourselves and what others may or may not know about us.
The Four Areas of the Johari Window
- Open Area (or Arena)
This is the part of yourself that both you and others know—your behaviors, attitudes, feelings, and views. It’s the most comfortable space for communication because there’s clarity and mutual understanding. - Blind Spot
These are things others notice about you, but you don’t recognize in yourself. For instance, maybe you interrupt people without realizing it, or you come across as harsh even when you mean well. Feedback from others helps reduce this blind spot. - Hidden Area (or Façade)
This includes information you know about yourself but choose to keep private like fears, past experiences, or personal struggles. While it’s healthy to keep some things private, reducing this area through appropriate sharing can improve trust and relationships (Daft, 2022). - Unknown Area
This is the mysterious part of you. Things neither you nor others are aware of. It might include untapped potential, repressed experiences, or hidden talents. Sometimes, these come to light through deep self-reflection, life experiences, or through someone else’s insight (Luft & Ingham, 1955).
References
Daft, R. L. (2022). The leadership experience (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Luft, J., & Ingham, H. (1955). The Johari Window: A graphic model of interpersonal awareness. Proceedings of the Western Training Laboratory in Group Development, Los Angeles: UCLA.
Zuboff, R. (2020). The age of surveillance capitalism: The fight for a human future at the new frontier of power. Profile Books.