Oprah Winfrey: a Personality Analysis Using the Cognitive-Experiential Domain
discipline were unnecessarily harsh (Lowe, 1998). Oprah was frequently sent into the woods to retrieve a switch; if an unsatisfactory switch was brought back, Oprah would return to the woods until one was found adequate (Lowe, 1998). Oprah recalls wishing she were a white girl because they did not get whippings, “they got talked to” (Lowe, 1998). Oprah was fearful of her grandfather, Earless Lee, whom she states was a dark presence to her (Lowe, 1998). Oprah’s grandfather would throw things at her and shoo her away with his cane (Lowe, 1998).
The farm where Oprah lived did not have the luxury of indoor plumbing (Lowe, 1998). Oprah’s chores included bringing in water buckets, emptying the morning urine bucket, and caring for the farm animals (Lowe, 1998). Their home did not have a television so reading became one of Oprah’s favorite pastimes (Lowe, 1998). Oprah’s childhood was a bittersweet mix of triumph and challenge. Oprah received inspiration and praise from her church congregation where she exhibited her gifted speaking abilities (Lowe, 1998). She also endured sexual abuse at the hands of several of her relatives (Lowe, 1998). In spite of the harsh punishment and sexual abuse Oprah endured during the early years of her childhood, Oprah has stated that she is where she is because of the grace in her life (Lowe, 1998). Oprah moved in with her father, Vernon Winfrey, in the fourth grade (Lowe, 1998). He and his wife, Zelma, owned a combination grocery store and barbershop (Lowe, 1998). They had no children and gladly accepted Oprah into their home. At the age of 14, Oprah’s mother asked her to return home with her (Lowe, 1998). Her mother had a new boyfriend she planned to marry and felt she could provide a good home for Oprah (Lowe, 1998). Life did not go as planned with her mother and Oprah retaliated by getting into trouble. Oprah stole money from her mother and was promiscuous (Lowe, 1998). When the juvenile detention center had no room for Oprah at age 14, she returned home to her father and...
Please join StudyMode to read the full document