Oprah Winfrey Fact File

Oprah Winfrey

1.     Do they have their own website, fan page, blog or social networking page?

Yes Oprah Winfrey has her own website. (www.oprah.com). She also has a fan page (https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey/).  Her social networking page are: Twitter- @Oprah, Instagram- @Oprah

2.     Have they written an autobiography?  No

3.     Has someone written their biography? Yes

4.     If you put their name into a search engine, how many “hits” do you get? 16,100,000 results

5.     Is the information you see factual, or is it for the purpose of entertainment? The information is factual

6.     Can you find any books in your LRC which have facts about this person? I’m not really sure

7.     Do you think you might be able to contact them directly? No

8.     How old is Oprah Winfrey? She is 62

9.     Can you find out how old they were when they left School? What there first job was, or what his religious beliefs are? The first job Oprah had was working as a radio and television broadcaster in Nashville. Oprah Winfrey is a Christian.

P1: Describe physical, intellectual, emotional and social development for each of the life stages of an individual (Oprah Winfrey)

In this part of my assignment I will be describing the PIES for each of Oprah Winfrey’s life stages. In this part of my assignment I will be describing the PIES for each of Oprah Winfrey’s life stages.

Conception

Human life begins with conception. A fertile women usually produces one egg each month, roughly two weeks after the last menstrual period. The egg cell travels from the ovary, along the fallopian tube towards the uterus, if sexual intercourse takes place while the egg is in the fallopian tube, the chances of conception increased if the man ejaculates during an orgasm. In April 1953 opera winery was conceived, this is when her mother’s egg and her father’s sperm fused together after sexual intercourse.

Pregnancy

Oprah mother became pregnant in April 1953. This pregnancy began with a sperm penetrating an egg. The fertilized egg begins to divide. After a few days the eggs divide enough to make up the size of a pin head. The cells then travel to the lining of the uterus where it becomes anchored. These collections of cells make up an embryo. After 8 weeks the embryo begins to grow and develop recognizable features such as hands, feet, a heartbeat, ears, mouth, at this stage the foetus.

During pregnancy there are three trimesters. The first trimester lasts from the first through the 13th week of pregnancy. This is when the body is preparing to accommodate a growing foetus.

The second trimester (weeks 13-27) is often the most comfortable period of time for the majority of pregnant women. Pregnancy symptoms will gradually disappear. The woman abdomen will start to look pregnant, as the uterus will grow rapidly in size.

The third trimester lasts from the 28th week through the birth. This is the final stage of pregnancy. During the third trimester visits to the health care professional will become frequent.

Birth / infancy 0-3 years                                              

Physical: When Oprah was born her brain was not fully developed, however she was able to identify the smell or her mother and taste things. As an infant Oprah was born with temporary and primitive reflexes such as, turning her head towards any touch on the cheek, this reflex is known as rooting. Another innate reflex is the grasp reflex; this is when she is able to hold on to a finger or object placed in the arm. The startle reflex is when a baby “throws their hands and arms outwards, arching the back and straightening the legs. This often happens when a baby is startled by a loud noise or unfamiliar face. The walking reflex is when a baby is placed on a flat surface they begin to do a walk like motion.

Intellectual:  When Oprah was born her brain was not fully developed. Intellectually a baby should be able to recognise sounds as the brains grown fast. They are also able to make variation of sounds due to increased vocabulary. Babies are born with the ability to sense objects. They are also born with a range of reflexes such as sucking, this will allow them to feed, and these actions lead to motor actions which control the bodies’ muscles.   

Emotional: it is during infancy that emotional development is of paramount importance. Attachment made during infancy are usually the strongest and longest relationship throughout life, for example the attachment between a mother and child.

Social: An infant will begin to enjoy routines (bath time, feeding, and sleeping) they will also discover sensorimotor at the end of infancy e.g. waves cries when left on their own, copies action of adults.    

Childhood 4-9 years  
                                            

Physical: Between the ages of 2-7 Oprah was able to climb stairs, run and jump. By the age of 4 Oprah was able to throw large objects such as a ball and kick. By the age of 7 Oprah was able to skip and ride a bicycle.

Intellectual: intellectually a child should have gained vocabulary which can allow them to have a conversation with people. At this life stage they are also aware of simple right and wrong; they are also no longer egocentric. At this stage their brains are developing at much faster speed. 

Emotional: At this life stage they are able to develop a wider range of emotions (happiness, nerves, frustration and negativity.) children will also develop how to express emotions in different situations. Relationships with other family members may influence how a child feels valued, a sense of worth and self-esteem. This can also be influenced by teachers and friends this could cause positive or negative situations.    

Social: socially children learn to share because of friends and siblings. The number of people that children know will begin to expand because of the friends they will make during school. They also begin to compare themselves to other people when they reach this life stage.

Adolescence 10-18 years         

Physical: Adolescence is the years from puberty to adulthood. Oprah had a tough adolescence as she suffered some physical and mental abuse. Oprah experienced a growth spurt when she was 12 years old.

Intellectual: when you reach adolescence you gain more connections because you start secondary school. You also start to use abstract thinking which leads to arguments. You also start to think independently this can be due to hormones rising.  

Emotional: Emotionally Oprah was depressed in her early adolescence because of the traumatic sexual abuse inflicted on her by various family members; she lacked confidence and sought attention by being promiscuous and rebellious.

Social: Her social development was assisted by the pageants that she joined because she was able to interact with her peers and form relationships. Her social development was assisted by the pageants that she joined because she was able to interact with her peers and form relationships.

Adulthood 19-65 years 
Physical: When Oprah was a young adult she was at the peak of her physical development and performance.

Intellectual: At the age of 18 Oprah was increasingly concerned about building her career.

Emotional: At the age of 28 she considered marriage and starting her own family with long term lover Stedman Graham, however this did not happen due to personal reasons and the fear of not losing him as a friend.

Social: Oprah’s social development during adulthood was very good as she was able to establish herself a career and socialize with friends by going out for meals.

Elderly 65+         

Physical: In this life stage Winfrey had reach self-actualisation because she was able to achieve her goals in life. Oprah went through menopause when she was 48 years old.

Intellectual: She is focused on being an independent woman. She is slowing losing her memory and finds it difficult to recognise things.

Social: Winfrey was a very social woman even in her old age, Oprah had a very supportive group of colleagues that she could socialise with, and she suffered from arthritis which gave her mobility problems. Winfrey was a very social woman even in her old age, Oprah had a very supportive group of colleagues that she could socialise with, and she suffered from arthritis which gave her mobility problems.

Emotional: At the age of 75 Oprah became stubborn as she was eager to complete tasks that she is incapable of.  Even though Oprah Winfrey did not marry her long term lover Stedman Graham, her emotional needs where met by him and her best friend Gayle King

References

prezi.com. 2017. P1 Development through the life stages by on Prezi. [ONLINE] Available at: https://prezi.com/9id5hlvil0ry/p1-development-through-the-life-stages/. [Accessed 25 January 2017].

ellsbells48. 2017. P1-unit 4 describe physical, intellectual, emotional and social development through each of the life stages. | ellsbells48. [ONLINE] Available at: https://ellsbells48.wordpress.com/2014/03/05/p1-unit-4-describe-physical-intellectual-emotional-and-social-development-through-each-of-the-life-stages/. [Accessed 25 January 2017].

P2: Explain the potential effects of five different life factors, on the development of an individual.

An individual's development can be affected by a number of life factors which include genetic, biological, environmental, social economic and lifestyle factors. All these life factors have a large variety of influences which will affect individuals and how they develop through life stages.

Genetic ( Downs Syndrome)

The first life factor is the genetics of an individual. A genetic influence that could affect the development of someone could be the predisposition to a particular disease such as Downs syndrome. Down's syndrome is caused by the presence of an extra chromosomes in a baby's cell it causes some level of learning disabilities and a characteristic difference in physical features. These difficulties that are involved with this disorder affect the everyday life of an individual with downs syndrome. As this disorder causes some level of learning difficulties, this will affect the child's development as regards to their education.

Biological ( infections during pregnancy)

The next life factor is biological influence that can affect the development of an individual as they go through their life stages. Throughout life, we all come into contact with many viruses and bacteria. As part of our defence mechanism, the body makes antibodies to help fight infection. If you have antibodies against a particular virus or bacteria, you are immune and the antibodies help to prevent or reduce the impact of getting the infection again. An infection that may occur during pregnancy could be Rubella.

Rubella, also called German measles, is a viral infection. It’s spread through coughs and sneezes, and from a pregnant woman to her baby in the womb (uterus). Rubella is usually a mild viral illness for adults and children. However, it's dangerous for an unborn baby. Most people in the UK are vaccinated against rubella. The risks are highest if you get rubella during the early months of your pregnancy. Sadly, catching rubella at this stage can cause a miscarriage.

Catching the infection during the first few months of pregnancy also means your baby could develop congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), which can result in serious disabilities. If you catch the virus later in your pregnancy, the risk is much lower.

In the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, unfortunately nine in 10 babies who catch the infection will develop CRS. Between 11 weeks and 16 weeks the risk drops sharply, and one or two babies in every 10 will develop CRS. They are also likely to have fewer disabilities. Between 16 and 20 weeks, CRS is very rare and the main effect seems to be deafness. From 20 weeks onward, there are no reports of any babies who have developed CRS

Some of the effects of CRS can include:

• eye problems, such as cataracts (cloudy patches in the eye)

• damage to the brain and a very small head (microcephaly)
• low growth during pregnancy
• heart abnormalities
• Deafness

It can also affect the baby’s lungs, liver and bone marrow. Sometimes, the problems from CRS aren’t obvious straight after the birth, but become apparent when the baby is older.

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a536354/rubella-german-measles-in-pregnancy#ixzz4X5qieS00

Environmental ( Family dysfunction )

Oprah’s dysfunctional family orientation played a huge part in her development. She suffered traumatic abuse from family members, which caused her to become rebellious. She felt neglected by her mother because she was almost never around, this really affected her as she was forced to grow up to soon and she became fearful of developing bonds with others. Winfrey experienced a great deal of sadness and confusion when her friends talked about their families. It was very difficult for her to see other children experiencing a normal life with an intact family. However all this changed when she moved in with her father at the age of fourteen.

Socio-economic ( low Income )

Growing up Winfrey’s socioeconomic status was lower class because her mother worked as a maid; they just about had enough money to buy their daily necessities. The low income restricted her access to some recreational facilities. Her mother could not afford the cost of a holiday; she spent most of her time at home or with family members. She was always at work which means that Oprah did not spend enough time with her mum which made her feel abandoned and neglected. Due to her financial status she was not very informed as she could not afford newspaper or reading books. However in her adulthood things made a huge turn around she is now a billionaire and lacks nothing that money can buy.

P3: explain the of two predictable and two unpredictable major life events on the development of an individual  

In this assignment i will be explaining the influences of two predictable and two unpredictable major life events on the development of Oprah Winfrey.

Predictable

To state, tell about, or make known in advance, especially on the basis of special knowledge. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/predictability

Moving home: At the age of 6 Winfrey moved to Mississippi to live with her mother, stepsister and stepbrother. This move influenced on her development negatively. They all lived in a two bedroom apartment, this was a huge change for Oprah as she was used to having her own bedroom when staying with her grandmother on the farm.

Leaving home: At the age of 19 Oprah moved out of her father's house to start her career as a talk show host.  This brought forward many opportunities for her as it helped improve her confidence and self-esteem. Moving out her father's house benefited her because she was able to develop herself and learn how to do things without her father's assistance. This also improved her social life as she was able to choose her own friends and go out without restrictions whereas when she was living with her father she had curfew. Moving out made winfrey an independent woman because she now has to pay her own bills and cater for food.

Unpredictable 

When something's unpredictable, it doesn't happen at expected times or it can't be predicted. If trains were unpredictable, they wouldn't follow a set schedule and you'd never know when one would arrive. https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/unpredictable

Fame: Winfrey's fame was very unpredictable considering her background. She grew up in poverty and did not have all she needed in order to become successful. However her fame made her develop in positive ways. She achieved so much such as awards. Her fame made her the most talked about woman in America which open doors of opportunities for her.    

Grief: When Oprah Winfrey was 14 she was struck by grief when she gave birth to a premature boy who died shortly after birth. This really affected her development as she was confused. This caused her to become very and angry. She began to seek attention and started running away from home. Her behavior was so bad that she just about escape being sent juvenile detention center. It was at this point that her mother realized that she couldn't handle Winfrey because she had other children in the house who could easily copy her. Her mother made the decision that Winfrey should go stay with her father in Nashville.    

P4: Explain two theories of ageing

                                         
                                          The Disengagement Theory

In 1961 two authors called Cumming and Henry put forward a disengagement  theory that older would naturally tend to withdraw from social involvement with others as they get older. The theory of disengagement means that as people get older they become independent as they are less concerned with what others expect from them.

There are many issues that limit the social interactions of people as they get older. One of the issues is that as people get  older their health status deteriorates, which means that they could have poor vision and poor mobility, this could then make the interaction with others more difficult as they would not be able to see who they are talking to.

The Activity Theory

The activity theory emphasises that older adults are happiest when they stay active and maintain social interactions. These activities especially help the elderly to replace lost life roles after retirement and therefore resists the social pressures that limit an older persons world. The theory was established by Robert J. Havighurst in 1961. It is said that being active in some forms means they would not become completely isolated from society. Activity theory is based on that concept that  a person's life satisfaction is directly related to their levels of social activity as well as overall activity.

M1: Discuss the nature-nurture debate in relation to the development of an individual

In this part of my assignment i will be discussing the nature vs nurture debate in relation to the development of Oprah Winfrey.

The nature vs nurture debate is the scientific, culture and philosophical debate about whether human culture, behaviour and personality are caused  primarily by nature or nurture. Nature is often defined as genetic or hormone-based behaviour while nurture is most commonly defined as environment and experiences. www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/nature-versus-nurture  

Physically the way we look can be argued to be mainly due to nature. The genes we inherit from our parents make the basis of what we look like. You may hear people say “you look like your father/mother”. Genetic inheritance can determine our eye colour , what type of hair we will have or whether we will be tall or short. We can also inherit certain disease which can impact on our health.

Oprah suffered a very traumatic childhood. During her childhood Oprah was sexually abused by number of male relatives and friends of her mother. I believe that this incident affected her self-perception as she became more self conscious and uncomfortable around people. Being raped destroyed her psychologically. This resulted in her becoming very rebellious as she started bringing boys to the house when her mother wasn't around and experimenting alcohol. The rape made Oprah a sexually promiscuous teenager. This incident would be nature  because what happened to her was not planned it happened unexpectedly.

Some people could say that the psychological development of Winfrey was due to her difficult childhood. When she was born her mother and father were not married. She tried to run away on several occasions because of all the abused she experienced but was later sent to a juvenile detention home.

When Oprah was young she was brought up in an unstable home this was due to her moving around a lot she spent her first five years with her grandma where she learnt how to read and write. While she was staying with her grandmother she showed her nothing but love. I would say this is nurture because we

P5: Explain the physical and psychological which may be associated with ageing

Ageing occurs with everyone, there are many physical and psychological changes that may occur during ageing.

Physical changes

There are a lot of physical changes that are associated with ageing. I will explain  some physical changes that can occur with ageing.

Skin, bones, joint and muscle

When ageing your skin tends to become thinner, less elastic, drier and finely wrinkled. Exposure to sunlight over the years greatly contribute to wrinkling and to making the skin rough and blotchy. Bones and joints become less dense and they are more likely to break. The joint of an individual will stiffen and begin to ache due to the cartilage of the bone becoming thinner. The muscle becomes weaker and makes it difficult for individuals to carry out certain tasks.

http://www.msdmanuals.com/en-gb/home/older-people%E2%80%99s-health-issues/the-aging-body/changes-in-the-body-with-aging  

Senses

When you start to age your senses begin to weaken this means that they would be as good as they were before. After the age of 45 the ability of the eye focus begins to weaken this occurs because when people age the lenses begin to get cloudy and hard. This makes it difficult for the lense of the eye to transmit light and shape correctly which results in blur vision. Changes in the ear make high frequency sounds harder to hear and changes in tone and speech less clear. These changes tend to speed up after the age 55.

http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/tc/healthy-aging-normal-aging

Organs

As you begin to age the muscles within the digestive tract may become weaker and risk of constipation may increase. The heart becomes less efficient at pumping blood around the body. Nutrients from food are not easily absorbed like how they would at earlier stages of life.  

prezi.com. 2017. Physical & Psychological changes of ageing by Claire Taylor on Prezi. [ONLINE] Available at: https://prezi.com/ywkn-tphj4lm/physical-psychological-changes-of-ageing/.

Psychological changes

Respiratory system

When blood fails to pump around the body effectively, shortage of breath may result. The potency of the muscle may decline as the individual ages and the effectiveness of the lung may decrease.  

M2: Discuss two major theories of ageing in relation the development of the individual

In this section of my assignment i will be discussing two major theories of ageing in relation to the development of Oprah Winfrey. (disengagement and activity theory).

Activity Theory

The activity theory is known as at stating that older people should disengage but also remain as active as they can. It is said that If you stay being active in some forms it means that they would not become completely isolated from society. Oprah is a 63 year old women, this theory applies to Winfrey because as she got older she got older she became more active in her career as she was involved in many shows and had many interviews. She still continues to produce and host television shows. Her social interaction is thriving due to the fact that she maintains contact with her work colleagues friends and relatives. Oprah Winfrey is a strong woman and mentally stable because she surrounds herself with people and engages in social situations. Her career made her able to fulfil all her goals and aspirations in life.

Disengagement Theory  

This theory of ageing states that ageing is inevitable mutual withdrawal or disengagement resulting in decreased interactions between the ageing person and others in the social system. The theory claims that it is natural and acceptable for adults to withdraw from society. This theory does not apply to Winfrey because as she got older she did not disengage herself from society instead she continued to do what she loved which was host and do interviews she also started up her own show called the OWN ( Oprah Winfrey Network)  after ending her contract with ABC. She engaged with people by having many interviews with celebrities talking about all types of things.

In conclusion Winfrey's development has continued to stay stable and efficient she did not stop achieving her goals and doing what she loves best.  

D1: Evaluate how nature and nurture may affect the physical, intellectual, emotional and social development of an individual.  

Oprah Winfrey physical development was affected by nature as some could say that her physical appearance was inherited from her parents. Her genetic inheritance determined her hair colour and eye colour. Winfrey was so fortunate that she did not inherit any disease that impacted on her health. However she was able improve her appearance this fits in with the nurture debate as she was able to make herself look the way she wanted. Being a billionaire mean that she was able to afford all the things that would enable her to look good and contribute to her physical development.

Adolescence

Oprah Winfrey's upbringing was very dysfunctional she was brought up by her grandmother until she was 6 years old then went over to live with her mother until she turned 14. Winfrey experienced a traumatic and depressing form of abuse from different family members. She was neglected by her mother as she was never there for her.

This made her become very apart from her family  sexually promiscuous. She grew very close to her grandma as she did not have that mother and daughter relationship she wanted. Nurture affected the social development of Oprah Winfrey during her adolescence. She began college which meant that the way she socialised improved because she made new friends who she could talk to about things she couldn't tell her father.

Intellectual: In Winfrey adolescence her intellectual development was affected by the nurture debate. When Oprah was sure of what career path she wanted to follow she had to make decisions that would lead her to that direction. She succeeded in getting a job as a radio station host, this job allowed her to be independent and make her own money and earn new skills.

Emotional: Oprah had a very close relationship with her long term friend Stedman Graham but was scared to get married to him as she did not want to lose the bond they had.  

Adulthood

Intellectual:  when Oprah Winfrey  reached adulthood she knew what she wanted to become after graduating from college. She went on to host a TV chat show called people are talking. It was by nurture that Winfrey could make the decisions she made as she was not born knowing she wanted to become one of the biggest personalities in the world. Getting a job as a job as a  TV chat show host was the start of Oprah's career. She was able to make a money and make her empire grow. She has also won various award.   

Physical: Oprah Winfrey physical development was due to nature because many people would say she resembles her mother. This was due to the genetic information passed on from her parents to her. Even Though Winfrey tried to change the way she looked, she began to grow grey hair and gain weight as her metabolism slows down.