AN EXERCISE TO HELP WITH ONE OF LIFE’S BIGGEST DILEMMAS
Who Am I?
Seeing yourself in a new way by combining your self-view
with the perceptions of friends, family, and peers.
Above a Johari Window is divided into four window squares. The philosopher Charles Handy thinks this concept is easier to comprehend if thought of as “The Johari House” with four well-defined Rooms. We will use Handy’s concept as our model also.
This exercise is an intellectual tool for learning more about yourself, who you perceive yourself to be, and how others see you and perceive your personality.
In this exercise, the subject picks a number of adjectives from the supplied list, choosing the ones they feel best to describe their personality. Then three or four of the subject’s peers, family or friends, get the same list, and they each pick the adjectives that they think best describes you and your personality. These adjectives are inserted into the correct Rooms of the four in The Johari House. The different rooms are devoted to the known and unknown personality traits defined by these adjectives.
The Johari House’s four rooms:
The Four Rooms are called the “ARENA.”
Room ONE: (Known to Self & Known to Others)
The part of ourselves we and others know and see.
Room TWO: (Not known to Self – Subject’s Blindspot)
The adjectives describing our personality others see, but we are unaware of… our blind spot.
Room THREE: (Not known to Others / Subject’s Façade)
The private part of ourselves we know, but hide from others.
Room FOUR: (Unknown to Self & Unknown to Others)
The unconscious part of our essence that neither we nor others are unaware of… the unknown, unknowns.
Upper Left/Room ONE: Place Adjectives Known to Self and to Others. Adjectives that both the subject and peers select go in this cell (or quadrant) of the grid. These are traits that subject and peers perceive.
Upper Right/Room TWO: Place Adjectives Known to Others / Blind Spot to Self. Adjectives not selected by the subject, but only by their peers go here. These represent what others perceive to be true, but the subject does not necessarily embrace.
Bottom Left/Room THREE: Place Adjectives Not Known to Others (Hidden) / Subject’s Façade. Adjectives selected by the subject, but not by any of their peers, go in this quadrant. These are things the peers are either unaware of, or may be untrue, but are perceived to be true by the subject.
Bottom Right/Room FOUR: Place Unused Adjectives. All other adjectives not selected go here. They represent subject’s behaviors or motives that no one participating may recognize in the subject—either because they do not apply or because of collective ignorance of these traits.
Results derived from the Johari Window (House).
The subject will gain greater knowledge about themselves, through their own perceptions plus those of their peers. Voluntary disclosure of private information usually results in greater interpersonal intimacy and friendships with the friends and peers.
Use the following 56 adjectives for the Johari Window (House) as possible descriptions of the subject.
- able
- accepting
- adaptable
- bold
- brave
- calm
- caring
- cheerful
- clever
- complex
- confident
- dependable
- dignified
- empathetic
- energetic
- extroverted
- friendly
- giving
- happy
- helpful
- idealistic
- independent
- ingenious
- intelligent
- introverted
- kind
- knowledgeable
- logical
- loving
- mature
- modest
- nervous
- observant
- organized
- patient
- powerful
- proud
- quiet
- reflective
- relaxed
- religious
- responsive
- searching
- self-assertive
- self-conscious
- sensible
- sentimental
- shy
- silly
- spontaneous
- sympathetic
- tense
- trustworthy
- warm
- wise
- witty
Try this exercise with your friends, associates or family – it could form a closer bond.
(Source: Wikipedia)
