Bloodless Coup

Monday Kind of Quiz

This may or may not work for the general blog reader population, because it's not really a quiz. It's more of a survey, one that gauges the difference between how you see your self, and how others see you. Some of you readers actually know me and might want to weigh in. For the rest of you, I thought it would be interesting to pass on so that you could try it with your friends and family.

Now, onto what on earth I am talking about: the Johari Window.

A Johari window is a metaphorical tool intended to help people better understand their interpersonal communication and relationships. It is used primarily in self-help groups and corporate settings as a heuristic device to encourage people to open up to another in self-disclosure. The concept was invented by Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingram, who combined their first names to create the name of the tool.

The test consists of a list of terms, each of which is an adjective relating to a personality trait. (For example, the list might begin with "accepting", "adaptable", "bold", "brave", "calm", "cheerful", and "complex".) A subject will select a few of these terms which he feels describes himself best. Each of his peers will then select a few terms which that person feels describes the subject best.

The terms are then plotted in a square grid divided along two axes into four quadrants. One axis represents "known (or not known) to self", and the other represents "known (or not known) to others."

Terms selected by both the subject and his peers are placed into the Arena quadrant, representing the fact that everyone involved knows these particular pieces of information about the subject individual; they have been openly communicated.

Terms selected only by the subject, but not by any of his peers, are placed into the Façade quadrant, representing information about himself of which his peers are unaware. The choice is then up to the first individual to bring the information into the open (self-disclosure) or to use it to his advantage.

Terms selected not by the subject but by his peers are placed into the Blind Spot quadrant. These represent information of which the subject is not aware, but his peers are, and they can decide whether and how to inform the individual about his "blind spot".

Terms which were not selected by either the subject or his peers remain in the Unknown quadrant, representing the subject's behaviors or motives which were not recognized by anyone participating.

To make your own window, go here. You will have to choose five or six adjectives to describe yourself. Then you will get a page to send your friends and family (they suggest and colleagues, but, you know, whatever) to for their contribution.

If you want to contribute to the Binky window, go here. For the haters, alas, there is no "shrill," and neither are there "moonbat," "lefty" or "tinfoil hatter."

If you do set one up, consider sharing. It would be kind of interesting to see how what we are trying to project in our blog personas differs from how others perceive us. Of course, the real thing (I found this on a friend's site, who presumably is interested in real life not blog identity) and how it differs from blog personality would be neat too. Of course, I'm fouling all the data by combining both people who know only Virtual Binky and those who know IRL Binky.

UPDATE: I feel just like Lisa Simpson desperately pleading with her mother to grade and evaluate her - OK everybody, have at Armand Knight.