Process of Self-Development:

The process of self-development includes:

I. Developing Awareness about Self

II. Adopting Methods of Development after Conducting the Awareness

Analysis.

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I. Developing Awareness about Self:

Self-awareness is the understanding of an individual of his/her self.
Increased awareness of self can assist an individual in effectively using
his strengths and competencies to develop his/her self.

However, understanding oneself alone cannot help you to develop

yourself. Though we feel that we know ourselves already, often we are
not fully aware of who we really are. Then, to further our self-
awareness we could use the Johari Window. It would help us know the
aspects of our behavior known to us and known to those with whom
we interact

The model helps to understand relationships of a person with others.

It studies the dynamics of interpersonal relations.

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According to the model, there are two dimensions for

understanding the self:
1. Those aspects of a person’s behaviour and style that are known to
himself, and

2. Those aspects of his behaviour known to those with whom he

interacts (others).

A combination of these two dimensions gives four areas about self.

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It is depicted as follows:

The model has four quadrants which together represent a total person
in relation to others. This relationship is represented on the basis of
awareness of behaviour, feelings etc. The awareness about self is
dynamic. It keeps changing as awareness changes with parties to a
relationship.

The self-awareness or psychological condition of a person in

relation to others is represented in the four quadrants:
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1. Open self:
This is a state where a person knows himself and also others. The
behaviour and feelings they share are, thus, open and compatible with
each other. The Arena includes information such as name, age,
physical appearance, location, contact address, familial or
organisation affiliation.

It contains information that one knows about his own self and which
others also know about him. In this square, what others know about us
corresponds with what we know about our self. It is an area
characterised by free and open exchange of information between
others and the individual. There are almost no conflicts and negative
feelings about each other. Arena increases when the blind, closed and
dark areas decrease.

2. Blind self:
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This represents a state where a person knows about others but not
about himself. His behaviour and feelings are known to others but not
to himself. His behaviour is, therefore, sometimes irritating though it
is not intentional. A person may have mannerisms of which he is not
aware that are perceived by others as funny, annoying, or pleasing.

For example, an individual might be surprised to hear that his method

of asking questions annoys others because it is interpreted as cross-
examination rather than curiosity or a request for information. Others
also do not correct his behaviour as they do not want to offend him,
though they know about his behaviour.

3. Hidden self:
It is a psychological state where a person knows himself but not
others. The closed area involves that which is known to the person but
not revealed to others; things in this area are secret. He has
information which others do not have. He also does not share it with
others and his behaviour and feelings represent only his private self.

For example, a subordinate may be annoyed if his supervisor does not

ask him to sit down during a meeting, but he will remain standing
without letting the supervisor know that he is annoyed. The supervisor
may think that the subordinate does not mind standing and accepts
his behaviour as part of their hierarchical relationship. Most people
have many such feelings in their closed areas that they are unwilling to
reveal to the persons concerned.

4. Unknown self:
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The fourth area is the Dark area, inaccessible both to the persons and
to others. This represents a state where an individual does not know
himself and others also do not know about him. The behaviour and
feelings are not clear till these unknown aspects of a person come to
light.
Some psychologists believe that this is a very large area indeed and
that certain circumstances (for example, an accident), particular life
stage, or special techniques such as psychoanalysis may suddenly
make a person realise some hidden aspects of him. To enhance our
personal effectiveness, Openness or Arena contributes significantly to
personal effectiveness – the larger this area, the more effective a
person is likely to be.

As shown in Johari Window, the size of Arena (openness) depends on

the size of the Closed and Blind areas; the smaller the other areas,
larger is the Arena. The more a person shares his views, feelings,
reactions etc. with others (the larger his Self-disclosure), the less will
be his Closed area. Similarly, the more he receives and uses Feedback
from others, the smaller his Blind area will be. For increasing self
awareness or self-development, thus, a manager should increase his
open- self.

This can be done in the following ways:

(a) He should analyse his self and identify his strengths and
weaknesses.

(b) He should understand his behaviour and emotional state and try to
relate it with others.

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(c) On identifying himself, if he analyses weaknesses, he should try to

overcome them and develop his strength.

(d) Change is the essence of self-development. He should be open to

change and if he is unknown to self, he should accept the advice of
others and develop a positive mind set.

(e) He should adjust his behaviour through change in interpersonal

processes. He can change from hidden-self to open-self by sharing
awareness with others, Similarly, he can change from blind-self to
open-self by taking feedback from others. He should be open to
disclosure of his behaviour by others. He should take what others give
about him.

Although a large Arena or Self-disclosure and Use of Feedback (and

small Blind and Closed areas) would be desirable to contribute to
personal effectiveness, the matter is not so simple. A person with a
large Arena may still be ineffective.

Managing Your Personal Development

There are a number of steps to take in managing your personal development.

developing a personal vision. Developing oneself is easier when we motivate ourselves to become
better. Having your vision is a crucial part of developing this purpose.

There is more about this in our pages on Developing a Personal Vision, Refining and Narrowing Your
Vision, and Setting Personal Goals.

2. Planning Your Personal Development

Once you are clear about what you want to be, you can start planning how to get there. Drawing up a
development plan is not essential, but it does make the planning process more realistic.

For more about this part of the process, take a look at our page on Planning Your Personal
Development.

If you are struggling to identify which areas to target for development and improvement, you may find it
helpful to read our pages on Personal SWOT Analysis and Identifying Areas for Improvement.

3. Starting the Improvement Process

There are a number of different ways in which you can learn and develop.

Our page on Improving Performance – Some Specific Techniques explains some ways of learning,
including a technique called expertise transfer.
Our page on Learning Preferences suggests how different types of learning process may be more
effective for certain people. You may also find our page on Learning Styles helpful in understanding how
you like to learn.

4. Recording Your Personal Development

It is often a good idea to keep a record of your personal development. By writing down key
developments in your learning and development as and when they occur, you will be able to reflect on
your successes at a later date.

There is more about this on our page, Recording Your Personal Development.

This reflection may well help to motivate you to learn more skills in the future. Try keeping a learning log
or journal as you develop your skills and knowledge.

See our page on Reflective Practice for some ideas of how to do this.

5. Reviewing and Revising Personal Development Plans

Our page on Learning Styles uses Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle to show that learning is a cycle. For
more effective learning, it is important to reflect on your experience, and consider what you have learnt
from it. Regular review of your personal development plans, and your development activities, will
ensure that you learn from what you have done. It will also ensure that your activities continue to move
you towards your goals, and that your goals or vision remain relevant to you.

There is more about this in our page on Reviewing and Revising your Personal Development Plan.

Read more at: https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/personal-development.html