Johari Window Test

The Johari window test was named after the first names of its inventors: Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham, “Of Human Interaction” (Mayfield Publishing Co., Palo Alto, CA: 1969).

The Johari window – which represents self – looks like this:

The vertical blue line inside the window represent how far I see about myself.

The horizontal blue line inside the window represents how far others see about myself.

Upper left window:

“I know you know”
This public window is known to self and also known to others.
It is the field of open communication.
This is where trust may flourish.

Upper right window:

“I don’t know you know”
This window represents our blind spots.
It is the field where I might feel vulnerable.
This is where self-discovery is a possibility for growth.

Lower left window:

“I know you don’t know”
This private window is our mask.
It is the hidden field.
This is where we keep our secrets.

Lower right window:

“I don’t know and you don’t know”
This window represents the black box.
It is the unknown field.
This is where there is room for potential.

The Johari window test is a model to helps us enlarge the field of open communication, to cultivate trust, and ultimately, to improve our relationships with those we interact with.

“If I perceive you not being honest with me even though you have been honest with me from your own perspective, I won’t trust you” (perception equals reality). And lack of trust breaks off communication.

Feedback helps us reduce our blind spots and our secrets – it helps us enlarge the public window, the “I know you know,” the mutual understanding, the trust (the great majority of problems are due to the lack of a healthy communication).

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