A (JOHARI) Window on Archetypes

They say that knowing yourself is the beginning of wisdom. But you can’t do it in isolation. You need feedback. You need confirmation. You need to be challenged.

Humans are complex creatures. There are unlimited parts to your personality. You’re a multi-faceted being. As such, you need to use a multidimensional approach if you want to understand more about yourself and others. For that reason, I’ve developed an approach that combines the JOHARI Window with archetypes.

The JOHARI Window is a technique you can use to explore self-awareness and interpersonal communication. It divides your self-awareness into four quadrants: Open, Blind, Hidden, and Unknown. You can use the JOHARI Window to analyse the attributes of your personality archetypes.

Here’s what that looks like using the Guide archetype:

1. Open (Known to Self and Others)

In the Open quadrant, attributes of the Guide archetype are those that are known to both you and others. These are the qualities that you openly express. They are recognised by those around you. Within the context of the Guide archetype, your open attributes might be compassionate, supportive, wise, empathetic, trustworthy, and mentoring.

2. Blind (Known to Others, Unknown to Self)

In the Blind quadrant, this is where you ask for feedback from others because these attributes are known to others but not recognised by you. These are aspects of the Guide archetype that others are have noticed, even though you may not be consciously aware of them. For instance, others can see your ability to provide guidance in the form of leadership, but you might not fully acknowledge this ability within yourself.

3. Hidden (Known to Self, Unknown to Others)

In the Hidden quadrant, attributes of the Guide archetype are known to you but are not shared, or not visible to others. These represent qualities that you possess but keep concealed or don’t openly express. When it comes to the Guide archetype, you might have a deep understanding of certain topics or skills that you keep hidden, or you may have personal experiences that have shaped your guidance style but you don’t share them with others.

4. Unknown (Unknown to Self and Others)

In the Unknown quadrant, attributes of the Guide archetype are unknown to you and unknown to others. These are aspects of the archetype that have not yet been revealed or explored by you or recognised by your social circle. For the Guide archetype, this might mean there are untapped potentials and qualities that you’ve not yet explored.

Your potential is unlimited. To discover more about yourself, chose one of your personality archetypes. Deconstruct it to unearth more of your unknown qualities. You can do this using a stream of consciousness approach. Brainstorm and list 6 weaknesses and 6 strengths for the archetype. And say to your innermost self, tell me something that is not yet conscious to me. Then make your lists to discover more about your positive (and negative) potential than you did before.

Acknowledging the attributes of your negative potential is essential if you want to expand your self-awareness. When you don’t recognise these aspects, they can operate unconsciously, leading to self-sabotage, projection onto others, and unproductive behaviour patterns. Confronting your negative potential allows you to integrate and transform these aspects. When you do, it leads to greater emotional balance, healthier relationships, and a deeper understanding of yourself.

Incorporating an archetype into the JOHARI method involves expanding the Open quadrant by sharing and expressing more of your archetypal attributes. It involves uncovering attributes in the Blind quadrant by seeking feedback from others and exploring the qualities in the Hidden quadrant. The Unknown quadrant represents the potential for growth and self-discovery as you explore new dimensions of the archetype that you may not have yet realised.

You won’t know what you don’t know until you deconstruct your archetypes.

Luft, J. & Ingham, H. (1955). “The Johari window: a graphic model of interpersonal awareness”. Proceedings of the Western Training Laboratory in Group Development. Los Angeles.