JOHARI WINDOWJOHARI WINDOW

Identity: A Sense of Who You Are

Identity: A Sense of Who You Are

Knowing Yourself

JOHARI WINDOW

• A Johari window is a ‘game’ created by psychologists, Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham in the United States, used to help people better understand themselves and the way they are perceived by others.

JOHARI WINDOW

• Our identity is formed both by the information we receive from others about ourselves and by self-knowledge about our feelings, talents, and desires.

• Self-disclosure – talking about who we are with others- is one way of recognizing these feelings, talents, and desires, thus gaining a deeper sense of our identity.

Johari WindowI. Public Self - what we know about

self that others also know

II. Blind Self - the side of us that others know but we don’t “see”

III. Private Self - Information we know about self but don’t let others know

IV. Unconscious Self - no one knows & neither do we (about self)

JOHARI WINDOW

• IDENTITY - formed both by the information we receive from others about ourselves (i.e., feedback) and by self-knowledge about our feelings, talents, needs and wants.

• SELF-DISCLOSURE - talking

about who we are with others;

one way of recognizing these

feelings, talents, needs and wants.

Self-disclosure

• When we disclose ourselves to others, Area I (Public Self) begins expanding into Area III (Private Self). Our hidden/ private area therefore shrinks.

• When others tell us something about

ourselves that we were not aware of

Area I (Public Self) expands to take

over some of Area II (Blind Self).

Identity

• As Area I (Public Self) expands with self-disclosure and feedback, we become less blind to ourselves and less hidden; with Public Self expanding so does our identity.

Johari WindowKnown toOthers

I.AREA of Free Activity(Public Self)II.Blind Area(“ Bad Breath Avoided orHidden Area(Private SelfNot Known toOthersIIIIVAREA OFUnknown Activity)(unconscious desires

and feelingsthat never surface)

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• With self-disclosure, area III shrinks.

• When other people give us feedback, area II shrinks.

• As area I expands, so does our sense of identity.

Autonomy

• The healthy ability to shape our own life and actions.

• Acting responsibly and shaping our own affairs brings about a more secure sense of identity.

• A strong sense of identity and autonomy reinforce each other.

Autonomy is not Independence

• Autonomy is different from independence (a state of relying on ourselves and not on others to fill our needs or to get insight).

• Autonomous people rely on their own judgment and competencies, but also on others with the sense of give-and-take (interdependence).

Interdependence

• To be interdependent means to function well on our own while realizing our need for others and their need for us.

• It implies that we rely on others to teach us things and that we teach others as well.

• Interdependence builds our sense of identity.

Board of Directors Imagine the people who have been most

influential in helping you to become the person you are today.

Directions:

• On a piece of paper draw a large oval “tabletop”

• Sketch 9 chairs (boxes) – one at head

• of table + eight others around the table. In head chair box write the name of the person who is most influential in your life.

Board Members

• In the eight chair-boxes write the names of the others in your life who have most influenced, guided and supported you.

• Under each chair-box, write one word that best describes how that person has guided or helped you.

Chair + Board Members

• Inside each chair box (under name) write one of the following ratings to indicate your behavior in relationship to that person:

• HD (highly dependent)

• SD (somewhat dependent)

• SI (somewhat independent)

• HI (highly independent)

• ID (interdependent)

On back side -- Answer these Qs:

1. Why did you choose the person you chose as your chairperson?

2. Describe 3 ways this person is a guide to you and has helped you grow.

3. What qualities does this person possess that you would like to develop in yourself?

4. Reflect on 3 others (most significant in your life) and why you chose the rating you did for him/ her.

5. Describe your feelings about separating from any of the persons in your “board” whom you’ll be leaving as you go off to college.

Reflection questions:Who am I?

How do I know who I am?

Is there anyone who knows me better than I know myself?

Who would I be if I were alone on a desert island without the activities and people that are usually a part of my life?

What is an identity crisis? Can such a crisis be avoided? How might it be a positive experience?