Personality Theory Term Paper

Most of us know of Johnny Cash as the “Man in Black”. However, do we truly know who he is? Some could say he was a great performer, oblivious of how his music has had a tremendous impact in their lives. Johnny Cash was an exceptionally influential person in American history. His “Man in Black” image helped solidify not only his place as a music writer and performer, but also his ability to overcome the depths of drug addiction.
On February 26, 1932 the star was born in Kingsland, Arkansas. The middle child out of seven children. Growing up during the Great Depression was a humbling experience for Cash. His father was a farmer who didn’t have a lot of money but their family began growing cotton and that was how they made a living. Starting at the early age of five John joined his family in the cotton fields picking cotton. First he was the water boy. Once he got a little older he started picking the cotton with the rest of the family. Songs echoed up and down the fields as the workers including Cash sang gospel and blues as they worked. Although the work was strenuous, John talks about this experience in a positive way. Grateful that he was able to spend this time with his family making memories he will forever cherish. In his autobiography titled “Cash”, he describes each worker and how much cotton they filled in each other their sacks. One memory he shares is that his father would always pick two rows at a time. Adler’s Early Memories theory is shown in this situation because John talks about how even though his father picked two rows at a time, he always picked just one. He picked one row because he said, “It looked like you were making more progress that way to others of course, but more importantly to yourself” (Cash, 1997). This shows his achievement mastery as High on Control. Even though he only picked one row and his father picked more, he felt like he mastered it because he believed he was making more progress that way. His transition from water boy to