In essence, I am identifying an interpersonal dynamic that Luft hypothesized in his original Johari Window. He suggested that when we disclose something, there is likely to be new material from Quad Four that replaces the former Quad Three material. Given that I have repeatedly emphasized in this book that we need to honor the wisdom of our own personal defenses, it is important for us to be cognizant of our confusion and fear about disclosure. We must wait for the right time and place to offer material to another person from our third quadrant.
This disclosure can often yield much greater personal insight than we could have anticipated. Both feedback from another person’s second quadrant and disclosure of material from our own third quadrant can yield quite surprising insights for us regarding our self and our relationships with other people –even if we are in control of this disclosure (Quad Three: I) and dictate conditions for receiving the feedback. In each case we are touching upon the powerful dynamics of Quad Four (to which I now turn) – and these dynamics are never predictable and are always somewhat (if not profoundly) disturbing.
