The Johari Window: what you show, what you hide, and what others can see

The Johari Window is a simple model of self-awareness that divides what's known about you into four squares: Open (known to you and to others), Hidden (known only to you), Blind (known to others but not to you) and Unknown (not yet known to anyone). Two psychologists, Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham, created it in 1955. The model suggests you can grow your Open square by sharing a little more of yourself and by asking for feedback.

Why are other people sometimes surprised by you?

Every so often, something you say or do comes across quite differently from how you meant it. You thought you were being clear and to the point, and someone heard you as abrupt. You thought you were being modest, and they took it as a lack of confidence.

That gap between how you intend to come across and how you're actually experienced can feel uncomfortable, and most of us would prefer not to think about it too much.

Yet it's also where some of the most useful information about you sits. Once you can see it, you have a choice about what to do with it, and that choice can make a real difference to your relationships at work and at home.

What is the Johari Window, and where did it come from?

Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham, known to his friends as Harry, were two American psychologists who presented the model in 1955 at a workshop on group development in Los Angeles. The name is simply their two first names pushed together, Joe and Harry, which is worth knowing as it saves you looking for a deeper meaning in it.

The four squares are:

• Open. What you know about yourself and others can see too.
• Hidden. What you know about yourself and keep back.
• Blind. What others can see about you that you can't.
• Unknown. What hasn't come to light yet, for you or anyone else.

The model suggests you can grow the Open square in two directions. When you share something about yourself, it moves out of Hidden, and when you ask for feedback, things begin to move out of Blind.

Research supports the idea of a blind square. In 2010 Simine Vazire found that we're better than our friends at judging our own inner states, such as anxiety, while our friends are often better at judging traits such as intellect. Each of us sees part of the picture, which is a reassuring thought, since it means the people around you can help you see the rest.

How do you use the Johari Window in PiViva?

You fill in the four squares. On your own you'll be able to fill the first two honestly and make a thoughtful guess at the third.

It's worth giving the Unknown square a minute or two as well. You might write down situations you've never been in, or things about yourself you've never had a chance to test, since much of what you'd learn about yourself under real pressure lives there.

To fill the Blind square properly, you need other people, and that's exactly what PiViva's 360 Feedback is for. If you've filed a report in the Report Room, Viv can also suggest observations from it that you may want to add to your Blind square, though only if you agree with them.

What if you don't like what's in your Blind square?

You probably won't, at least at first, and that's entirely normal. Very few of us enjoy finding out something about ourselves that everyone else seems to have known for years.

Feedback becomes useful when you do something with it. In 2005 James Smither and his colleagues brought together the research on multi-rater feedback and found that people improved more when they set goals and took action on what they'd heard. So a lovely next step is to pick one thing from your Blind square and turn it into a goal or a small habit.

The Johari Window is helpful before a new role, when you join a new team, or before a conversation you've been putting off. Coaches in the PiViva Coach Directory will know it well, so it's a good one to share before a session, and you may find that seeing yourself a little more clearly is the start of feeling more at ease in your own skin.