Johari Window Model: Exploring Self-Awareness
The Johari Window model was developed by Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham in 1955. The Johari Window Model is a tool to increase self-awareness, personal development, and relationship development. The Johari window can be applied to a variety of interpersonal interactions in order to help us understand what parts of ourselves are open, hidden, blind, and unknown. To help understand the concept, think of a window with four panes. As you can see in
, one axis of the window represents things that are known to us, and the other axis represents things that are known to others.
The upper left pane contains open information that is known to us and to others. The amount of information that is openly known to others varies based on relational context. When you are with close friends, there is probably a lot of information already in the open pane, and when you are with close family, there is also probably a lot of information in the open pane. The information could differ, though, as your family might know much more about your past and your friends more about your present. Conversely, there isnt much information in the open pane when we meet someone for the first time, aside from what the other person can guess based on our nonverbal communication and appearance.
The bottom left pane contains hidden information that is known to us but not to others. As we are getting to know someone, we engage in self-disclosure and move information from the hidden to the open pane. By doing this, we decrease the size of our hidden area and increase the size of our open area, which increases our shared reality. The reactions that we get from people as we open up to them help us form our self-concepts and also help determine the trajectory of the relationship. If the person reacts favorably to our disclosures and reciprocates disclosure, then the cycle of disclosure continues and a deeper relationship may be forged.
The upper right pane contains information that is known to others but not to us. For example, we may be unaware of the fact that others see us as pushy or as a leader. Looking back to self-discrepancy theory from
, we can see that people who have a disconnect between how they see themselves and how others see them may have more information in their blind pane. Engaging in perception checking and soliciting feedback from others can help us learn more about our blind area.
The bottom right pane represents our unknown area, as it contains information not known to ourselves or others. To become more self-aware, we must solicit feedback from others to learn more about our blind pane, but we must also explore the unknown pane. To discover the unknown, we have to get out of our comfort zones and try new things. We have to pay attention to the things that excite or scare us and investigate them more to see if we can learn something new about ourselves. By being more aware of what is contained in each of these panes and how we can learn more about each one, we can more competently engage in self-disclosure and use this process to enhance our interpersonal relationships.
Take 9 minutes to watch this video and learn about the Johari Window Model
Assignment Instructions
For this assignment, you will create a Johari Window presentation, supported by narrated audio to explain the characteristics you place in each window. Follow these steps:
Part 1: Review the module page about the Johari Window
Part 2: Ask two (2) trusted family members and/or friends to assist you in the completing the blind window by providing feedback about your characteristics that you might not be aware of.
Part 3: Create your own Johari Window. Use PowerPoint [or any other platform you desire] to create a 6-slide presentation that represents the four areas of the Johari Window (Open, Blind, Hidden, Unknown).
- For each of the four windows (Open, Blind, Hidden, Unknown), include at least 3-4 images that visually represent the traits or characteristics you associate with each area. Along with the images, include a video recording where you explain why you chose each image and how it relates to the traits in that particular window.
- The first slide is an introduction – introducing yourself and briefly explaining the Johari Window.
- The second slide is the “Open” window
- The third slide is the “Blind” window
- The fourth slide is the “Hidden” window
- The fifth slide is the “Unknown” window
- The sixth slide is conclusion (Final closing sentence, picture, or quote that defines who you are & what you learned from this assignment.
Note: You can use powerpoint or zoom to record. Make sure the audio and powerpoint are in the same file.
Additional Instructions
- Introduction
- Begin your speech by introducing the concept of the Johari Window.
- Provide a brief overview of its origin and purpose in the field of psychology and interpersonal communication.
- Mention the key components of the Johari Window: Open, Blind, Hidden, and Unknown.
- Open Area
- Identify and describe what you believe to be your “Open Area” (known to self and others).
- Share strategies and techniques you have used or plan to use to expand your “Open Area.”
- Explain how these strategies can lead to improved communication, relationships, and personal development.
- Blind
- Discuss aspects of your personality or behavior that may fall under the “Blind Area” (unknown to self but known to others).
- Share who assisted you with this window.
- Hidden Window
- Share insights into aspects of yourself that you tend to keep hidden from others, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
- Reflect on why you might be keeping these aspects hidden and what this means for your relationships and self-awareness.
- Unknown Area
- Discuss the concept of the “Unknown Area,” which represents aspects of yourself that neither you nor others are aware of.
- Reflect on the potential for personal growth by exploring and uncovering this unknown territory through self-reflection and feedback.
- Conclusion
- Summarize the key points of your speech, emphasizing the importance of the Johari Window in self-awareness and interpersonal growth.
- Reflect on what you have learned about yourself through this exercise and how it may influence your future interactions with others.
These are the assignment instructions, please use PowerPoint to do this assignment. For the speaker notes write down for each slide what I will need to read for each slide on a google document, labeled with what it belongs to.
PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS !! AND PLEASE DO NOT PLAGIARIZE OR USE AI !! Thanks !

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