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The Final Project for this course requires that you apply the material that you have studied during the term to a case study of your choice. For this assignment, you must choose a well-known current or historical person for an in-depth analysis of personality development. Some examples of the type of person you can choose are famous politicians, philanthropists, entertainers, businesspersons, or individuals who made significant contributions to your field of study or career. You should choose a figure whose biographical information can be easily researched.
During this course, you have studied several models of personality development. For your Final Project, you’ll write a 5- to 7-page paper that describes the way in which each of the models that you studied in the course applies to the personality development of the case study that you chose. Your paper must include the following components: 1. A summary of the person’s life experiences. This section must include all relevant background, including family history, significant life experiences, and important contributions that may have influenced or resulted from the individual’s personality development.
This section should be 1-2 pages in length. 2. A discussion and evaluation of the ways in which each of the following models would explain the individual’s personality development: a. Psychoanalytic and Neoanalytic theories b. Psychosocial theories c. Trait, Evolutionary, Genetic/Biological approaches d. Cognitive, Behavioral, and Social Learning theories e. Humanistic theories Be sure to include an explanation of the advantages and disadvantages of applying each model to your case study. This section should be 3-4 pages in length. 3.
If you wanted to measure and assess this individual’s personality, what specific methods of personality assessment would you use and why? What information would you gain from each of the assessment tools that you chose? This section should be at least 1 page in length. Culture and society have historically been omitted from theories of personality as noted in Pearson (2006). Pearson (2006) continues in explaining that explanation of gender, ethnic and cultural differences help to form a complete picture of personality and motivations that help to direct people are formed by their culture (Pearson, 20060.
Therefore, it can be determined that philanthropist, actress, television producer and talk show host Oprah Winfrey has a personality that was formed through experiences from her childhood, environmental, evolutionary and biological factors. Oprah Winfrey stated “the whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complete person you were intended to be” (Winfrey, 2011). Oprah Winfrey was born January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi to mother Vernita and father Veron who was a barber and businessman.
Oprah lived in a small farming area and endured a rocky childhood where she encountered sexual abuse by several male relatives and associates of her mother. Due to the sexual abuse, Oprah eventually moved to Nashville, Tennessee with her father. Oprah attended Tennessee State University in 1971 and started working in radio and television in Nashville. In 1976, Oprah moved to Baltimore and hosted “People are talking” for eight years where her career began to excel. It was during this time that she began her own morning show in Chicago called “A. M. Chicago”.
Her “warm-hearted” personality style helped her progress from last place to first place ratings. The Oprah Winfrey show began in 1986 and grossed $125 million in the first year as a nationally syndicated program in which she would gain ownership. Oprah publically displayed her struggles with weight on the air. Oprah produced cable and internet programming for women, created a monthly magazine “O:The Oprah Magazine”, created the Oprah Winfrey Network and notably is a member of activism and charities. “Business Week named her the greatest Black philanthropist in American History” (Winfrey, 2011).
Her network has raised more than $51,000,000 in charity which include education for girls in South Africa and victims of the Katrina Hurricane. Oprah is an activist for children’s rights and proposed a bill that was signed into law in 1994 by President Clinton creating a national database of convicted child abusers. She is the founder of the Family for Better Lives foundation. Oprah openly shares her personal life. In 2011 she revealed the family secret about her half-sister, Patricia, that had been given up for adoption when Oprah was 9 years old and living with her father.
Patricia was given up for adoptions because Oprah and Patricia’s mother feared not being able to get off of public assistance. Patricia was rejected by her biological mother after trying to reach her as an adult but continued research and eventually met Oprah a few months before Oprah publically announced the revelation. Oprah has been engaged to Stedman Graham, public relations executive, since 1992. They live in Chicago and she has several other homes in various locations. Reference: Oprah Winfrey. (2011). Biography. com. Retrieved 10:01, Dec 25, 2011 from http://www. biography. com/people/oprah-winfrey-9534419