Life Span Growth and Development-Oprah Winfrey
As we grow up, different factors influence our behavior and, ultimately, how our lives turn out. This influence starts at a young age when an infant begins to grip the finger of his caretaker. A familiar face gives the infant a sense of security and comfort. Teenagers start to make more involved decisions like who to invite to a birthday party. When teenagers get older, they begin to get passionate about more intimate issues like politics, arts, or the environment. This trend continues until adulthood, where an individual is required to make family and career decisions. An external factor influences every decision we make in our lives, be it political, social, or economic factors. Different theories explain human behavior in different developmental stages. The cognitive learning theory argues that individual thinking is influenced by both internal factors and external factors like the environment. Cognitive processes involve steps like observing what is happening, internalizing what has been observed, and forming ideas. Another theory the behaviorism theory argues that individuals develop behaviors as they interact with the environment (Meichenbaum, 2017). Lastly, the humanistic theory argues that individuals have free will and that every decision we make has a consequence that helps individuals shape their lives. This paper will use a behavioral approach to understand the behavioral development of Oprah Winfrey.
Oprah Winfrey is one of the most famous television personalities across the globe. He hosts a daily show that showcases different individuals as they narrate their life stories. Her presentation was inspired by the need to share her challenging life story. Oprah was born on January 29, 1954, in Mississippi. Her parents, Vernita Lee and Vernon Winfrey were very young during her birth, 18 and 20 years old, respectively (Harris, 2015). As anyone can imagine, the mother was afraid of raising a young child while she was unemployed. Due to the stress, the pregnancy was not an easy one.
When Oprah was young, her mother moved to Wisconsin to find employment. She planned to move Oprah to Wisconsin after she got a job. However, in the meantime, Oprah stayed with her grandmother’s farm in Mississippi (Harris, 2015). The grandmother stimulated Oprah’s liking of books. This is because she taught her how to read, and by the age of three, she could read the bible. Soon Oprah started speaking in the church at a very young age. The grandmother’s influence on Oprah is evident in her behavior up to today. Her religious beliefs can be traced to her grandmother’s church. This is because the idea was introduced to her at an early age. It also shows how her interaction with the church shaped her behavior (Horowitz, 2014).
Between the age of six years and eleven years, Oprah experienced two life events that influenced her behavioral development. First, her grandmother’s health deteriorated, and she had to go live with her mother. However, Oprah’s mother worked as a house help, and she could not afford to raise her children. In some cases, she had to rely on relief to feed Oprah and her half-sister. Because of the situation in her mother’s place, Oprah moved to Nashville to live with his father and set-mother (Garson, 2011). Here she could enjoy her bed. This situation made Oprah fear poverty and encouraged her to work hard to her current status. Another life event happened when Oprah was nine years old. Oprah’s cousin raped her, starting a series of sexual abuse from friends and family members. This explains why Oprah is so involved with women’s rights and empowerment movements (Meichenbaum, 2017).
Before Oprah graduated from high school, she had become popular in public speaking and drama. After high school, she attended Tennessee state university, where she was voted as Miss Black Tennessee at the age of 18 years. This became a stepping stone and an encouragement in her long successful career in media. After her recognition, Oprah was offered a job at CBS, and after turning it down twice, she finally accepted. She became the African American cohost to anchor evening news at the age of nineteen (Garson, 2011). In 1984, she moved to Chicago and took over as an anchor in a morning radio show. The show always received poor ratings. However, Oprah introduced controversial women issues, and three months later, the show was among the highest in ratings. Later the show was renamed to Oprah Winfrey show.
In conclusion, behavioral development is influenced by external factors like the environment in which an individual is raised. Oprah is one of the most successful and famous media personality, globally. Her success and passion for women empowerment can be traced throughout her life. Born from a poor family, Oprah experienced the pain caused by poverty. Also, after experiencing sexual abuse from her family members and friends, Oprah has dedicated her life to empowering women who undergo the same challenges. The environment in which she grew has shaped her current behavior and decisions.
References
Garson, H. S. (2011). Oprah Winfrey: A Biography: A Biography. ABC-CLIO.
Harris, J., & Watson, E. (Eds.). (2015). The Oprah Phenomenon. University Press of Kentucky.
Horowitz, F. D. (2014). Exploring developmental theories: Toward a structural/behavioral model of development. Psychology Press.
Meichenbaum, D. (2017). Teaching thinking: A cognitive-behavioral perspective. The Evolution of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (pp. 85-104). Routledge.