Johari window

The Johari window maps what a person knows about themselves against what other people know about them. Joseph Luft (1916–2014) and Harry Ingham (1914–1995) designed it to support self-awareness, feedback, disclosure and interpersonal learning.

When to use it

Use the window in coaching, team development and reflective practice when participants can choose what to disclose and feedback can be given safely.

Origins

Psychologists Joseph Luft (1916–2014) and Harry Ingham (1914–1995) introduced the model during group-development work in the mid-twentieth century. Its name combines parts of their first names. The framework was designed as a conversational aid, not a clinical assessment or a licence to demand personal disclosure.

What it is

The model has four areas:

Quadrant 1 — open:

information, behaviour, knowledge and experience known both to the person and others. Clear communication and appropriate disclosure can enlarge it, but openness is not inherently better than privacy.

Quadrant 2 — blind:

patterns others observe that the person does not recognise. Specific, behaviour-based feedback can move useful information into quadrant 1.

Quadrant 3 — hidden:

information known to the person but not others. Some concealment can impede trust; much of it is legitimate privacy. Disclosure should be voluntary, purposeful and proportionate.

Quadrant 4 — unknown:

capability, response or feeling not yet recognised by anyone. Experiment, learning, coaching and new situations may reveal it.