IT ENDS NOW!!
Oprah Winfrey had a hard childhood which led to her being abused and raped at the age of nine years old. While living with her mother she was sexually abused by her 19 year old cousin who raped, took her out for ice cream, and told her to keep it a secret. She kept the secret but the abused didn’t end there. But what she didn’t know what that she would soon face more abuse from a family friend as well as an uncle. She kept silent about all of it for years. She was unable to talk about her abused with her mother. As a result, Oprah started to act out such as skip school, dating boys who were a little older than her, steal money from her mother, and even run away.
Oprah was 14 years old when she realized that she was pregnant. She was able to hide this news from her parents until she became seven months along and was showing more. She went into early labor on the same day she told her father about the pregnancy. She delivered a baby boy, who died within two weeks. She felt ashamed and was in so much pain. Winfrey often worried her career would be damaged if people found out about the pregnancy. she said “she imagined that every person on the street was going to point their finger at me and scream, ‘Pregnant at 14, you wicked girl”. Oprah learned that holding the shame was the greatest burden of all.”Most raped victims feels the shame, self-disgust, self blame and low self esteem that comes with a traumatic experience.
Evaluation Apprehension plays a huge part in this case. Evaluation Apprehension is when an individual is performing a task in front of others or is being judged by others which causes their anxiety level to rise. When Oprah became pregnant at the age of 14 she felt as if people would point finger at her and judge her. When she became older she felt that her Career would be damaged if people found out that she was pregnant at an early age. This shows that she was ashamed of what happened to her. She was afraid that her secret would get out so she hid early parts of her childhood. It wasn’t until a few years ago she finally told her story and the reason why she never told anyone.
Another concept that can relate to Ms.Winfrey is Self awareness. Self awareness is when one focuses on oneself which make them more sensitive to their own attitudes. When she got pregnant all she felt was shame and hurt because of her situation and the outcome it might later have on her career. She was so afraid to talk about it or let anyone know her childhood which led to her holding her guilt and pain in for so long. It took her years for her to realized that it wasn’t her fault and she is good enough and is worth being loved. When she finally make peace with her past her life changed for the better. The thing she was most afraid to talk about help her become a successful, strong and independent woman she was meant to be. She became more aware of herself and her inner strength.
-Kayan Petgrave
Fry, Elizabeth. “Did Oprah’s Childhood Shape Her Career?” ThoughtCo, www.thoughtco.com/childhood-biography-of-oprah-winfrey-2535832.
Resource:https://www.thoughtco.com/childhood-biography-of-oprah-winfrey-2535832