How do you appear to others? The Johari window helps you to better understand the perception of yourself and others and thus prevent misunderstandings.
How do we see ourselves and how do others perceive us? That can often be quite different! Perhaps you are familiar with this situation: You are in an employee interview, your boss talks about your nature and you cannot find yourself in it at all. We often act differently than we actually are – and this is exactly the difference with the so-called Johari window, also called the Johari grid. Here is the Juxtaposed self-perception and perception of others – with a surprising result!
This concept can help you avoid misunderstandings with others and help you better understand how others see you. And that can help in many situations – from dating to applying for a job!
Johari Window: The Four Levels
The scientists Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham are the founders of the concept that bears the unusual name Johari window. The word Johari is easy to explain – it is a combination of both inventor first names, Joseph and Harry (Jo-hari).
The word window or grid alludes to the four different levels that make up the concept. These four areas are arranged next to one another like a grid window, or a matrix. They are:
- Public person
- My secret
- Unknown
- Blind spot
These four areas are arranged next to and one below the other like the panes of a lattice window. This gives the Johari matrix, which looks like this:
Through the terms "known to me", "unknown to me", "known to others", "unknown to others" On the X or Y axis, the individual levels are given a new meaning. Now let's go through each area to To compare self-perception and perception of others.
1st level: Public person (known to others, known to me)
The first area is called "Public person". This means all characteristics that are known to you and others. So these are very obvious traits that everyone sees when they meet you.
Characteristics of your public person that you and others know could include:
- punctuality
- a well-groomed appearance
- a direct appearance
2nd level: My secret (unknown to others, known to me)
The second area will be more exciting. This is about personal secrets. No, it doesn't have to be any corpses in the basement. It means everything that you know that others cannot know about you.
Your secret could be for example:
- I am actually dissatisfied with my job
- I just broke up
- I have financial worries
3. Unknown (unknown to others, unknown to me)
The third field is called "Unknown" and the name says it all. After all, there are personality traits that neither you nor other people are aware of. They are quite simply unexplored. These can be, for example, undiscovered skills such as:
- a hidden talent for leadership
- an artistic streak
- a good feeling for numbers
4. Blind spot (known to others, unknown to me)
The last point is called "Blind spot". This level is about properties that others see but we do not see ourselves (because we are not aware of them). These are the characteristics that can surprise us in evaluating others because we don't even have them on our screen.
So a blind spot represents something that others see, but you are not aware of it yourself. These can be positive and negative aspects. For example:
- not be open to criticism
- be a good listener
- appear dominant
Johari window: what it tells you
Anyone who takes a serious look at the Johair window will understand better why others have a certain external image, which does not always correspond to our self-image. In everyday life you can better understand how others perceive you and better assess your appearance. If someone assesses you "wrongly", there may be a good explanation for this: characteristics and facts that you are aware of yourself are not known to that person and vice versa.
The analysis of the four levels is very informative in and of itself. But you could too make an area for the future that you want to improve. Maybe you want to explore unfamiliar skills or deal with the blind spot and make yourself more aware of your own demeanor?
Important here: If an area changes, this also has an impact on at least one other level. For example, if you discover a new talent that was previously unknown, it suddenly also affects the area of "My Secret" – you know it, others don't (yet) know it.
Would you like to find out more about your personality? Here you can read about what our character is made up of according to the DISC model. And the OCEAN model tells you even more about your personal characteristics.
You can also find more topics related to satisfaction and personal development in the BRIGITTE Community. Have a look!