Reflections and Resources for Understanding Power and Identity

The purpose of this page is to offer tools and exercises designed to help the reader reflect on their identity and power dynamics as a teacher, and visitor within the carceral higher education environment.

Links to an external site. Links to an external site.

The Johari Window

One simple but potentially very effective resource for arranging, identifying, and evaluating the different aspects of our own identities, as understood from the Key Terms listed in on Introduction: Power and Identity page, is the Johari Window. This basic visual tool can help us conceptualize distinctions between our Open Self (the aspects of our identities known to both ourselves and others), our "Blind" Self (the aspects of our identities known to others, but for which we may be oblivious), our Hidden Self (the aspects of our identities we deliberately conceal from others' knowledge), and our Unknown Self (the aspects of our identities for which neither we nor others have an articulated understanding).

Visual model of the Johari Window, feature Open, Blind, Hidden, and Unknown Self.

(Access Media Description: Johari Window)

Applying this structure through practical analysis — that is, assessing how the Johari window might help one more effectively, or practically approach teaching in carceral space — compels particular consideration for the persistently tenuous dynamics between power and identity. Consider mapping out, visualizing, or otherwise conceptualizing your Open, "Blind," Hidden, and Unknown "selves" as both an educator and more broadly as an individual.

How do we account for and actively construct our Open Self in a setting within which both we and our students are instructed through authoritative channels to avoid overfamiliarity? Extended experience teaching both in the carceral college classroom and on traditional college campuses simultaneously will frequently, if not always, lead one to consider the efficacy and ethics of teaching and building rapport with students in selectively uneven ways between settings and groups of students.

Whether or not we have always applied the tool used here, we've likely all rather extensively reflected on our own "Blind" Self to the extent that social experiences tend to teach us very early on that others' perceptions of our identities can contribute to very material or personally impactful reactions to our identities. Recognizing that the "blind" self is always reducible — that is, we can actively or inadvertently acquire more knowledge about how others view and react to us if we are around each other for long enough. Yet, others will always have a view of us that is completely unique to them. We can only do so much to construct the performances and personas our students will engage with; but if we are actively receptive to feedback, or even if we are simply more deliberate about building courses designed for student engagement and communication, we can better recognize and utilize the different "versions" of ourselves teaching in uniquely perceptive learning environments.

The Hidden Self shares much with the "blind" self, to the extent that some of the things we may consider "hidden" may in fact be perceptible to our students on some scale. Students may ask questions or inquire about us, beyond our distinctly-defined roles as educators; and like with our more traditional students, there are nonetheless aspects of ourselves we prefer to keep separate. While many subjects require little to no descriptive or narrative reflection on personal life experiences (e.g., College Algebra [generally!]), other subjects should carefully consider the perception of students who are being required or compelled by an assignment to present a level/depth of personal experience that, as an instructor, you may not feel mutually comfortable disclosing in detail for yourself. In other words, avoid becoming a barrier to students' basic right to self-preservation (beyond its judicially-enforced institutional definition).

Attempting to characterize our Unknown Self is a distinct, almost paradoxical challenge. How can we possibly assess that which we admittedly do not know or cannot perceive about ourselves, and which is also simultaneously seemingly imperceptible to others? Mapping out our Open, "Blind," and Hidden selves can perhaps point towards some clues, or help us narrow the scope of self-reflection, in turn helping us better recognize possible gaps in our perception of ourselves and of others. We should also contend with, however, the simple reality that everyone's Unknown Self persists in some form or another, changing in shape, subject, and salience over time, but always with us; always a reminder that our own perception of the world is limited to our own particular experiences, and as well to our willingness to receive and respect greater critical awareness from others when/wherever we fall short.

Mapping Your Identity Activity

Using these simple graphics provided by Northwestern University Links to an external site., you may print or redraw both the Social Identity Wheel and the Personal Identity Wheel as you complete this activity.

Personal identity wheel graphic.

(Access Media Description: Personal Identity Wheel)

Personal identities are individual traits that make up who you are, including your hobbies, interests, experiences, and personal choices. Many personal identities are things that you get to choose and that you are able to shape for yourself. Personal identities might determine whether or not you have a natural inclination to go in a certain personal direction (pursuing a particular education or career, etc).

In the inner circle, record the personal identities that are the most important or salient to you at this time. In the outer circle, record your other personal identities that are less important or salient to you at this time, but are still part of your overall identity. For example, a childhood injury may go within the inner circle under "Critical Life Experience" if the injury was traumatic or formative in some way, whereas an appreciation for the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team may go within the outer circle over "Sports Teams" if athletic competition is not a particularly important focus of one's life.

Social identity wheel graphic.

(Access Media Description: Social Identity Wheel)

Social identities influence the experiences we have as members of any group. They are shaped by common history, shared experiences, legal and historical decisions, and day-to-day interactions. Social identities also affect personal identities. For example, your social class may have a strong impact on the education you receive and the profession you pursue or settle into. Our society strongly influences how we categorize other people and ourselves based on these identities in significant ways.

In the inner circle, record the social identities that are the most important or salient to you at this time. In the outer circle, record your other social identities that are less important or salient to you at this time, but are still part of your overall identity. For example, "41 years" may go in the outer circle above "Age" if being the age of 41 is less than consequential to one's life or identity, whereas "Gay/genderQueer" may go in the inner circle under "Sexuality/Sexual Orientation" if one's experiences as a Gay and genderQueer (nonconforming) individual have significantly influenced one's self-concept and worldview.

Additional Resources

Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching for Tolerance). Southern Poverty Law Center. Links to an external site.

Crenshaw, K. “The Urgency of Intersectionality,” TEDWomen2016. Links to an external site.

Understanding Intersectionality Infographic Links to an external site. (2017). National Association of School Psychologists.

Reflections and Resources for Understanding Power and Identity