ManMirror

4 Pages 902 Words

“Oh would some Power the giftie give us
To see ourselves as others see us!
‘It would from many a blunder free us,
And foolish notion.”
~ Robert Burns
The lyrics of “Man in the Mirror” sung by Michael Jackson, written to examine how one can make a difference, but a closer look into the concept of self- awareness really starts with the age-old question, “Who am I?”
Johari’s Window is based on the principle that of all the things about us that exist can be found through positive and honest information. The theory consists of four windowpanes. This visual is monumental in grasping the true message of observation and trust, or does it?
Johari’s first pane, “the arena,” embraces the notion that if I tell you about me and you tell me about you, this shared information is the basis for all our mutual dealings with each other. This comfort zone provides effective communication, by trusting, understanding and confronting issues “the arena” is maximized. The larger the area, the more it dominates negative panes in his window.
The second pane believes that some information will be known to us but not to the people we deal with. This is the pane, better known as “Mask,” encourages us to engage in game playing, trickery, and the like. The larger this pane, the less chance we have of developing true relationships with others because such relationships are usually based heavily on trust.
Pane three is potentially dangerous because there is information known by others, that we do not know about ourselves. Called the “Blind- spot,” we risk exposing weakness not known to us and can be exploited by others.
Finally the forth pane, “the great unknown,” describes a special place that is secret. It is a source, for the most part, of personal creativity and other resources, which we may never have even suspected. Although one might see this theory as the least threatening, it real...