Dear Readers and Friends, original article
As in every Life Coaching context we are examining, there are only small explanations and many questions. Finding these answers is our task, discovering ourselves and then improving ourselves and loving ourselves for who we are is the ultimate goal. As has already been said in several articles:
“A question at the right time can change your life or at least your vision of it.”
So let's continue the series of Life Coaching articles with the same pattern.
Last sad note: no one can fool themselves, they can believe they can, but if you don't accept yourself and be honest with yourself, nothing we are doing will work. This is the safe place where you can show your True Self without receiving criticism or suggestions, only questions at the right time.
Today I present you an article with a very interesting exercise attached: THE JOHARI WINDOW.
People do not have just one character trait, but many facets . There are aspects of themselves that they keep hidden or that they show only to those closest to them, aspects that are reserved, for example, to the workplace and aspects that are revealed when socializing.
THE JOHARI WINDOW
The name Johari Window may seem like an overly complicated psychological process, but rest assured it is not. In 1955, Joseph Luft and Harrington (Harry) Ingham created the name "Johari" for their model by simply combining their names.
The Johari Window was first used in 1955 and has since become a widely used model for understanding and training in a variety of self-awareness-centered activities such as personal development, communications, interpersonal relationships, group dynamics, teamwork, development, and even intergroup relationships.
THE FOUR QUADRANTS OF JOHARI
Quadrant 1: Johari's "Public" quadrant, also called the "area of freedom" or Activity, is related to the public persona that we are aware of assuming, and therefore the parts of ourselves that we know others know about us. Examples of this can include our bad temper, various bad habits, good habits, personality traits, communication styles, professional skills or even our attitude.
Focusing on strengthening our “Public” quadrant helps us to be more committed to living a transparent, authentic, and congruent life. This healthy approach to life means we show more of ourselves to others, which in turn makes us more relatable and trustworthy.
Expanding the “Audience” minimizes the impact of the distortions that external biases impose on us, as it encourages and empowers us to be more courageous in seizing opportunities to engage in dialectics when necessary.
Our “Public” quadrant can only be expanded if we venture out and explore our “Blind” quadrant and “Hidden” quadrant to become more aware of them.
In life, we don’t know what we don’t know, and when we begin to become more aware of those parts of ourselves that we were previously unaware of, we automatically gain the power to take a higher degree of responsibility for ourselves and to grow where necessary.
It is important to note that not everything we make available to others in the "Public" quadrant is related to everything there is to see. Our "Public" quadrant is simply the "face value" that we allow other people to experience.
Unfortunately, when it comes to being understood by others, many of us make assumptions about who we are based on what we see in our “Public” quadrant without knowing what lies beneath. It is from this perspective that each of us is at risk of being hypocritical, as many of us often judge other people based on what we see in their “Public” quadrant, but we judge ourselves in a less superficial way.
Quadrant 2: The "blind spot" is the subconscious mind that holds the reasons why we say and do the things we say and do. When we move beyond the "blind spot" and notice parts of ourselves that we were not aware of, we become better able to make wise decisions about how to change our behaviors and attitudes toward people and seek the most appropriate support/resources that promote our continued personal growth.
The blind spots identified in our 'Blind Spot' can range from our technical skills (or incompetence) to our attitudinal strengths and weaknesses. The more we become aware of the weaknesses that exist in our 'Blind Spot', the more we become capable of growth and development. Needless to say, we can only improve those areas of our lives that we are aware need improvement.
Ignoring what we discover about ourselves in our “blind spot” puts us in a state of ignorance, possible denial, and can be costly to our growth and developmental progress.
As we embrace more meaningful realizations of truth from within our “Blind” quadrant, the Public quadrant expands and our ability to behave transparently and authentically becomes more natural to us.
It is difficult for people to like or accept us when they are not fully aware of who we are, so it is essential for us to become aware of what lies within us. Knowing our blind quadrant so that we are more accessible and easily identifiable to and from others.
Quadrant 3: The “Private” quadrant within our Johari window is where we keep all the complex details about ourselves that we don’t want other people to have access to. Examples of this might be secrets from our past, impure motivations, selfish impulses or bad habits that we are ashamed of, or the role we played in a past relationship.
Sometimes what is hidden in our “Private” quadrant is not only hidden, but has been unintentionally forgotten for a long time. The “Private” quadrant represents the subconscious part of the mind where we may not always immediately recall segments of our past; however, they are not completely lost to our memory. The “Private” quadrant is always known to ourselves, but not to others in our lives. Once we remember something from our “private” quadrant, we can reevaluate it and take ownership of it if necessary.
The reasons why we keep some of our intimate personal details hidden can range from feeling ashamed of ourselves, to pride, arrogance, self-preservation, or low trust in a relationship. In these situations, not exposing details about ourselves would typically place us in this “Private” quadrant, which could have a wide range of positive or negative consequences.
We don’t need to make all parts of ourselves available to everyone all the time, but some parts of ourselves can be crucial to building trust with people we feel are special.
Quadrant 4: The “Unknown” quadrant is where our greatest potential for change lies and where transformation resides. Humans are complicated creatures; there is much more beneath the surface that neither we nor others could ever know about. Throughout our lives, the events we experience can cause the development of what later in life will become automatic feelings, thoughts, or intuitions.
These automatic feelings, thoughts, and intuitions make up the “Unknown” quadrant. They are the deep, intricate parts of what makes us tick. After much deep self-reflection, the Unknown can become known, and as these intuitions emerge, we reflect on their potential meaning and how we can best use them.
EXERCISE
Print three copies of the following Johari Window worksheet. Give one copy to three people you trust to give honest, supportive feedback. Sit down with each person and fill out the worksheet together, starting with the items in the “Public” quadrant before moving on to the “Blind Spot.” As you explore each quadrant, ask for their opinions and only move on to the next quadrant when you both agree on the contents of each quadrant. Then, if you’re ready to be honest, share the items that reside in the “Private” quadrant of your Johari Window with those people.
For the “Unknowns,” ask them to share some thoughts or insights into untapped potential you may have that hasn’t fully emerged. Once you’ve completed all three sessions, combine the results to form a “Johari Master Window” and list three steps you can take to resolve any issues raised during this exercise (these will likely be associated with your “Blind Spot”). Once you’ve decided on action steps, schedule a new meeting with the people who provided feedback and share your action plan with them.
Be sure to make changes based on your level of agreement with their comments. To ensure that those providing feedback see the value of their participation in your effort to change and the interest you show in their opinion.
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