The Survivor Personality Newsletter Archives

April, 1997

by Al Siebert, Ph.D.

Dear Survivor:

The day after I rushed a mailing of over 1100 post cards announcing my appearance on an Oprah Winfrey program on March 4th, an assistant producer called to tell me that the broadcast had been rescheduled for a week later, March 11th. I decided that survivors would be able to handle this unexpected development and did not attempt another rush mailing.

The call to appear on Oprah's program surprised me. Thousands of authors want to get on the Oprah show, almost 1000 a month. I had not tried. The producer said she was putting a show about survivors together and had most of them selected. She told me she was looking for an expert on the inner nature of people who survive. She had discovered my book and decided I was the right expert for the show. She wanted me to be in Chicago for the taping six days later.

When she asked what kind of survivor "test" they could conduct, I suggested doing a "Candid Camera" set up in the lobby telling some people their tickets to the Oprah show had been cancelled. They did it the next day and, as was shown on the program, they recorded a wide variety of reactions.

Being part of the program gave me a chance to meet and interview some wonderful survivors. The main value, however, was having an opportunity to let Oprah's viewers know that at critical moments in their lives how they react can make a difference in how things turn out. People need to know this when there is so much happening that can lead a person to feeling like a victim.

Everyone wants to know what Oprah is like. As a person, she is very quiet, deeply centered, and totally present. As a television host, she is the opposite of most others. She does not try to make a show happen. Instead, she interacts with what the producer has put together to spontaneously allow a show to happen. I was slow to understand this and was not as proactive as I could have been. After the taping, most of the survivors said they wished that more about their thoughts and feelings about their experiences could have been told.

When I returned home I spent the next week writing a long, in-depth article about the survivors I met. It is now posted at my website. The title is "When How You React Makes a Difference." It features:

Beck Weathers - left for dead near the top of Mt. Everest.

Paul Barney - survivor of a ferry sinking that killed almost 1000 people.

Frank Lawrence - survivor of a casino fire that killed 97 people.

Margret Crotty - survived a ferry boat sinking by swimming for 16 hours.

Richard Lawson - USAir flight 405 plane crash survivor.

Kelly Clem - survivor of a tornado that killed her daughter.

Jerry Schemmel - Sioux City, Iowa, plane crash survivor.

The article covers:

  • Getting Past Chance: How You React Can Make a Difference
  • An Intense Will to Live
  • The Second Survival Challenge
  • Erroneous Thinking About Survivors
  • The Third Survival Challenge
  • Better Than Before, and
  • Oprah is a Wonderful Role Model

To purchase a transcript of the Oprah program "Would You Survive?" send a check for US$4 to:
Burrelle's Transcripts, P.O. Box 7, Livingston, NJ 07039, USA.

Did you know that Oprah Winfrey has a huge web site on America On-Line? I didn't, until the site manager telephoned me and said they selected me to be their "Star of the Week" for two weeks starting March 27, 1997.

The theme for the first week revolves around answers I wrote to five questions about the Survivor Personality. (Note: The answers are an excellent summary of what it takes to survive and thrive in a difficult world. You might want to print out or download the file for future reference or for newsletter articles.)

The theme for the second week will revolve around my discussion of the seven item quiz I created for the Oprah studio audience.

When I explored the site I discovered a file under my name. It is a message board for visitors to post their comments, ask questions, tell their stories, suggest other resources, and interact with each other. This is wonderful opportunity to connect with others who share your interest! Let others know who you are and how you relate to the "survivor personality."

Note:

Oprah has redesigned her site. As of 4/26/97, there no longer is a "Star of The Week" section. You can still access the message board regarding the show on March 11, 1997.

With best regards,
--Al Siebert
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