Oprah Winfrey Autobiography (ANSWERED)

QUESTION

This is not a research paper. This is an application of knowledge project.

You will read a biography or autobiography of someone who is known for his/her accomplishments due to their own efforts. This can be someone in the arts, the sciences, explorers, athletes, academic/medical researchers, writers, or many other disciplines.

I don’t want a simple accounting of their lives. I want you to read the person’s life with an eye to how they became as excellent in their field as they were. You will need to apply at least three learning theories to their life stories.

Read for their process. This can include failures as well as successes. What did they learn from their failures? How did they adjust when they failed or didn’t measure up to their expectations? Learning is not linear. People make changes to their training or study as they discover new directions that are more intriguing or challenging. Many of you have done that when you change majors or schools in order to satisfy what you think will be successful for your life.

I also want you to read and include at least one critique of this person’s accomplishments. Tell me if you think negative criticisms of their work validity are justified. You need to consider your own view of this person’s work, beyond what has been common knowledge.

This project will be worth 100 points. It should be at least 7 pages long, including a reference page, listing all the sources you used. It is required to be formatted in APA style, and I will have notes on that in the syllabus. If writing in English is difficult for you, make appointments with the Writing Center to get help. This will be graded rigorously, so you need to factor that into your planning for the semester.

ANSWER

Description of Oprah’s accomplishments

Oprah Winfrey has accomplished much as a TV and media personality, publisher, actress, philanthropist, and humanitarian. She became a household name when her talk show, the Oprah Winfrey Talk Show, first aired in 1986. Garson (2011) indicates that her talk show outperformed all conventional shows of the time with an early viewership of 7.3 million. The Show aired in 140 countries and was a cultural renaissance and a force to reckon with (Garson, 2011). It had already won three Daytime Emmy Awards within the first few years. She also received the Best Show Director award in 1987, becoming the first young person ever to receive an award in the television industry. She was also the first African American woman on Forbes’s list of billionaires.

Apart from her career accomplishments, Oprah has also positively impacted the lives of minority groups. She invested millions of dollars in Charity organizations such as ‘the Angel’ to support children through education. Garson (2011) reports that her talk show fans have contributed over 80 million dollars to different charity initiatives she endorsed. Oprah’s foundation, the Angel Network, also helped rebuild houses for hurricane victims, hosted a Christmas Party for over 50 000 children in South Africa, bought school uniforms for 18,000 children, and constructed seven primary schools (Garson, 2011). Oprah built an academy in South Africa for girls from impoverished families, giving them opportunities for high-quality education despite their socioeconomic conditions. In 2002, Oprah was awarded the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for her social and cultural impact.

Description of Oprah’s process and means of improvement/ failures and successes

Oprah’s success in the television industry can be attributed to her charisma. Northhouse (2019) indicates that early scholars traditionally used charisma to define people with extraordinary gifts or exceptional personality traits that distinguished them from average persons. Oprah’s success in the TV industry is inarguably due to her oratory skills and public speaking talent. This public speaking and oratory abilities were prominent even during her early years. Oprah recalls making her first Easter speech when she was only three and a half years and had spoken in all churches in Nashville by age 13 (Garson, 2011). In an interview with Larry King, Oprah revealed that she had been a keynote speaker at various events since she was 13. She would recite Bible verses in church, and many women perceived her as a gifted child due to these recital abilities. She would be called upon to perform Easter selections. By age seven, Oprah could recite sermons, biblical passages, inspirational poems, and the entire series of James Weldon’s seven sermons.

These skills played a crucial role in her TV career. Garson (2011) reports that Oprah’s early experiences lay the groundwork for her career. Oprah’s communication abilities enabled her to capture the attention of her audience the same way she captivated people at church. Okun (2016) reported that Oprah had a voice everyone would listen to without questioning why. She had a way of connecting with the audience emotionally, explaining why her Show became tremendously popular. According to a former Show producer, the audience would cry when Oprah entered the television studio and gush when she directly talked to them. Another study by Jenicek (2009) indicated that her personality was the Show’s selling point. The author also attributes her success to her confidence and ease on camera (Jenicek, 2009). Oprah’s effect on her audience demonstrates that she was exceptionally gifted and a charismatic individual.

While it is uncontested that Oprah was a skilled orator and communicator, there seems to be no consensus on whether these skills are natural or nurtured. Some scholars argue that Oprah’s gifts are natural because they stood out early in life, while some attribute them to environmental factors, meaning they were nurtured. A natural gift means that the person inherited or was born with it. Therefore, stating that Oprah’s oratory and communicative skills are natural implies that she inherited those traits.

A nurtured gift means the individual learned and mastered it. Oprah’s grandmother taught her how to read and recite the Bible before Oprah was three years old. Vernon Winfrey, Oprah’s father, forced Oprah to read a specific number of books regularly. This mandate made Oprah develop a strong vocabulary that contributed to her communication skills. This upbringing also proves that Oprah’s oratorical and communication skills were nurtured.

Various researchers have demonstrated that a child, even with strong genetics, will not reach their full intellectual potential unless their environments are stimulating. These researchers say a stimulating environment significantly improves a child’s intellectual outcome (Spielman et al. 2014). Genetics is critical, but an individual’s chances of reaching their full intellectual potential depend upon the environmental stimulation they experience during their childhood (Spielman et al. 2014). Therefore, it is logical to argue that Oprah’s oratory and communicative skills resulted partly from her stimulating childhood environment.

Description and application of learning processes used to improve

Behaviorism theory posits that learning relies on an individual’s interactions with the external environment. According to the theory, people modify their behaviors in response to the behaviors’ consequences (Al-Shammari et al., 2019). For example, if a person is praised for doing something, they will likely perform the behavior again in the future. Through a process called conditioning, a behavior can be reinforced or discouraged. At least in part, Oprah’s oratory skills improved due to positive reinforcements, i.e., praise and rewards. Oprah had not even completed her College Degree in Communication by the time she started working, yet she was among the best in the industry. People’s praise for her speeches and recitals reinforced her innate communication skills. It is unlikely that Oprah would have transcended to that achievement level had she been constantly criticized in childhood. Contrary, the praise, and admiration she received encouraged her to continue reciting and giving speeches, giving her the experience she needed in her career.

Criticism also motivated Oprah to deviate from some behaviors, demonstrating that she applied the behaviorism theory in her learning processes. For example, Oprah has been heavily criticized for launching fraudsters’ careers, including John of God and James Arthur Ray (Garson, 2011). John of God, a man who claimed to heal through God and spirits, turned out to be a human trafficker and serial rapist. Oprah’s endorsement of his work made some of her followers fall victim to John of God’s sexual abuse. James Arthur Ray, whom Oprah endorsed as a self-help guru, charged $9,000 to purge his followers of bodily sin (Garson, 2011). He killed three people due to this practice and was consequently charged with negligent homicide. Oprah was heavily criticized for the role she played in endorsing these men. Since then, she has been careful to distance herself from endorsing spiritual healers in her Show. Criticism is a form of negative reinforcement. Because criticism made Oprah deviate from certain behaviors, it can be surmised that the behavioral theory is central to her learning processes.

The social learning theory posits that people learn by observing and interacting with others in the social environment. According to the theory, people often remember the series of events when they observe a model perform a behavior or action (Al-Shammari et al., 2019). They then apply the information from observation and replicate the model’s behavior or action. Oprah describes her mother’s household as chaotic and stressful. Consequently, Oprah revealed doing drugs to cope with the stress, demonstrating that her social environment affected her behavior.

In contrast, she attributes her hard work and strong work ethic to her father. Oprah’s advanced vocabulary can be attributed to this social learning theory. Garson (2011) indicates that Oprah moved in with her father when she was eight. Her father’s household was utterly different from her mother’s. Vernon Oprah, Oprah’s father, was a strict deacon and valued education. He required Oprah to read a certain of books in a specified period of time. Reading books was Vernon’s culture, and soon, Oprah became accustomed to it, significantly improving her vocabulary. Oprah learned and appreciated the importance of reading books, enculturating her father and stepmother’s (a retired educator) reading habits.

The constructivism theory indicates that people generate knowledge by reflecting on their personal experiences, searching for the meaning of their experiences, and incorporating the new information with pre-existing ones (Al-Shammari et al., 2019). Garson (2011) reveals that Oprah has reflected on her personal experiences and made adjustments based on her own reflection. For example, she has confessed to using racist expressions but adjusted this behavior as part of her self-improvement. The ability to self-reflect, create own understanding, and modify behavior is based on the constructivism theory.

Public Critique of a person’s achievements

Oprah has been a subject of various criticism but also adulation. She has been praised for covering sensational topics on her Show, encouraging her fans to speak up against sex crimes and seek help. A New York Times journalist labeled Oprah as “crass,” “mesmerizing,” and extremely generous (Garson, 2011). Another Swampscott reporter claimed Oprah lacks exceptional talent and engages in “unnecessary fits of hysteria.” Amidst this criticism, Oprah has outpouring affection from her dedicated fans. Her status has grown far beyond the television audience, and she is still among the highest-paid African Americans in the country.

Unfortunately, she has also been accused of hypocrisy due to her connections and relationships with sex predators. She lectures America about the pervasive sexual exploitation in Hollywood, yet she never even once condemned or confronted Harvey Weinstein for his dozens of sexual assault and harassment cases. The victims claim that Oprah must have known about Weinstein’s behavior because his harassments were no secret, yet she chose to continue working with him. Oprah never interviewed even one of John of God’s victims or her father’s alleged sex victims. These actions are a paradox for a woman whose brand centers on self-help and women empowerment.

Her school in South Africa has also been marred with peer-to-peer rape and sexual molestation (Garson, 2011). She has faced lawsuits in Africa, raising questions about her validity to open schools abroad and not locally. Other critics have pointed out that she has repeatedly exaggerated her childhood stories because her past is central to her success, while some have expressed anger due to her unfavorable attitude toward black men (Garson, 2011). Coupled with her endorsement of Obama, these actions contributed to a drop in Oprah’s popularity and ratings. These drops in popularity and ratings attracted headlines such as “Oprah’s talk show crown slipping” and “Has Oprah passed her expiration date?”

Personal Opinion of Oprah’s Accomplishment

Despite the criticism, Oprah’s Show is viewed globally by Asians, Africans, Arabs, Europeans, and countries with less than an 8% white population. This viewership proves that Oprah’s influence and appeal cross racial lines. What makes Oprah appeal to people of different cultures? I believe it is her charisma, eloquence, and communicative skills that captivate people. Her charismatic traits have enabled Oprah to positively influence people, earning her loyal followers who faithfully watch her shows. Her oratory and communication skills are responsible for her business success. Oprah’s success teaches us that being skilled in our specialty area increases our industry success chances, and personality traits can earn us loyal followership.

I cannot discredit the allegations against Oprah, but her celebrity status and influence make her a target for all forms of criticism. When people criticize her for investing in schools abroad, they are not paying attention to her local charities. For example, she donated $500,000 to St. Benedict’s Prep school in 2009, which, in my view, is still a legitimate gesture of her philanthropy (Garson, 2011). Other critics were dismayed at her role in influencing American culture, seeing her as supporting mediocrity. Yet, when Oprah supported Obama’s presidential campaign, she was still criticized,

Perhaps a key takeaway from these allegations is that criticism accompanies success. We can never really be loved by all. Most importantly, our moral compass and ethical values are essential for long-term success. We learn that unethical behavior can have deleterious effects on a brand’s image and business success, evidenced by Oprah’s drop in popularity and ratings. Whether the allegations are true or not, they obviously impacted her career. Therefore, everyone, including businesses, must maintain strong ethical values for long-term success.

References

Al-Shammari, Z., Faulkner, P. E., & Forlin, C. (2019). Theories-based inclusive education practices. Education Quarterly Reviews, 2(2). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1282639.pdf

Garson, H. S. (2011). Oprah Winfrey: A Biography: A Biography. ABC-CLIO.

Jenicek, A. (2009). Worshipping the Enterprising Self: The Oprah Empire’s Brand of Spiritual Self-Governance . https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/id/eprint/976468/1/MR63032.pdf

Okun, D. A. (2016). Oprah Winfrey’s Leadership through Womanhood. In Women Leaders in Chaotic Environments (pp. 61-69). Springer, Cham. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-44758-2_6

Northouse, P. G. (2021). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.

Spielman, R. M., Dumper, K., Jenkins, W., Lacombe, A., Lovett, M., & Perlmutter, M. (2014). What Is Psychology?. Psychology.