In the twentieth century, Joseph Luft wrote a book titled Group Processes: An Introduction to Group Dynamics. In it he talked about the Johari window. The Johari window is a diagram that maps out self-awareness.
This diagram is divided into four quadrants labeled: the Open Self, the Blind Self, the Hidden Self, and the Mystery Self. Joseph Luft calls the Mystery Self the Unknown Self.
The Open Self is all of those things that others know about you and you know about yourself. It is those thoughts, feelings, personal information, attitudes, opinions, ideas, that everyone including yourself knows.
People with small Open Selves are underdisclosers. They are generally poor communicators. People with very large Open Selves are overdisclosers. They tell people intimate details about themselves that most people would never share. The Open Self should be neither too small nor too big.
The Blind Self is the Self that is unknown to you, but known to others. People may see some things about you that you are unaware of. They might know some things about you that are unknown to you. Getting positive, constructive criticism from others helps to enlarge the Open Self. There is a caveat to listening to others. Not everyone's opinion or statement regarding you is necessarily true. For example, when someone calls you an idiot or makes some other malicious remark that does not mean that what they are saying is true. Criticism can be destructive to your self-concept or positively build it up. In the case of malicious, hyperbolic remarks, the saying, "Garbage in, garbage out," applies. In the case of positive, constructive criticism, the Biblical adage, "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend," applies. (Proverbs 27:17, NKJV)
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The Hidden Self is that Self that is known to you, but not known to others. It includes all of those private thoughts and feelings that you do not share with others. It is normal to have a private, Hidden Self. Revealing everything about yourself is not only unwise, but socially unacceptable. Some things you share with your closest friends and family members. Other things you share with no one. If you express your true feelings about some things to some people that could create conflicts.
The Mystery Self is that Self that is unknown to everyone including yourself. Theoretically speaking, if the Open Self becomes enlarged, the Mystery Self shrinks.
The Johari Window is useful in understanding self-awareness. It is useful in helping parents understand their children. Parents have children with normal Open Selves, over-enlarged Open Selves, and excessively small Open Selves. Parents need to be aware of when their children are becoming too secretive and when they are talking about things to people that should never be mentioned outside of the family circle. They need to be careful not to make malicious remarks to their children which could destroy their sense of self-esteem. Explaining why a particular criticism is important before making it can help the child to understand the need to remedy his behavior.
The Johari Window is a useful diagram for understanding self-awareness and how to increase self-knowledge. It is useful for helping parents understand their children's level of interpersonal development. A child with a small Open Self will be a poor communicator. A child with an over-enlarged Open Self could become the butt of other children's jokes.
