Microaggression is defined as a subtle form of prejudice and can be intentional or accidental and target marginalized groups. Marginalized groups are those excluded from the mainstream social, economic, educational, and/or cultural life. Some examples of these are groups that are excluded due to race, gender identity, sexual orientation, or immigration status. Microaggressions are brief, commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, environmental humiliations whether intentional or unintentional that communicate hostile, derogatory, insults. These messages target persons based solely on their marginalized group membership. It is important to recognize when microaggression has occurred, what message it may be sending and to take into consideration the context of the relationship and situation.
Perpetrators of microaggression are frequently unaware that they engage in such communications when they interact with racial or ethnic minorities. The term Aversive Racism encompasses well-intentioned people that consciously believe and profess equality but unconsciously act in a racist manner, especially in ambiguous situations. We at Miami Psychology Group provide counseling and psychotherapy to recipients of microaggression as well as those that engage in microaggression to assist them in increasing awareness of internal biases.
The following are subgroups of microaggressions:
- Environmental Microaggression are racial assaults, insults and invalidations that are manifested on systemic and environmental levels. This is the overarching umbrella that encompass the three following categories. The use of “micro” by no means minimizes the accountability or impact on recipients.
- Micro-assaults are conscious and intentional discriminatory actions. Examples are using racial epithets, displaying white supremacy symbols, or preventing one’s son or daughter from interracial dating. This is characterized primarily by verbal or nonverbal attacks meant to hurt the intended victim through disparaging language, avoidant behaviors, or deliberate discriminatory acts. In sum it is like “old fashioned” racism done on an individual level, it tends to be conscious and deliberate.
- Micro-insults are characterized by communications that convey rudeness and insensitivity and demean a person’s racial heritage or identity. It is usually subtle and clearly carries a hidden insulting message to the recipient. These can be verbal or nonverbal. It is a comment or action that is not intended to be discriminatory and is usually unconscious. An example is a person of color being presumed to be dangerous, criminal, or deviant based on their race. Another example is receiving preferential treatment as a consumer over a person of color.
- Micro-invalidation is characterized by when a person’s comment invalidates or undermines the experiences of a marginalized group. It is frequently unconscious. An example is a White person telling a Black person that “Racism does not exist in today’s society”. Other examples are “I don’t see color” or “We are all human beings”. The impact is to negate the person’s experiences as racial/cultural beings.
The American Psychological Association recommends the following strategies to people who face microaggression:
- Respond to the microaggression if it feels safe to do so.
- Discuss the incident briefly and make plans to discuss it again at a later point in time to give you the opportunity to reflect.
- Let the person know how this made you feel and why it’s significant.
- Focus on criticizing the microaggression, not the person.
- Make sure to take care of yourself by seeking social support and practicing healthy self-care.
Bystanders can help by being allies. This might involve voicing your concerns over the microaggression. Always say how the language made you feel and not how you assume it made the recipient feel.
Helpful tips on decreasing microaggression:
- Remember that ally is a verb.
- Educate yourself about the day-to-day experiences of Black, indigenous and people of color.
- Speak candidly to people you know that can help you understand the impact of microaggression and the feelings that result.
- Improve your ability to reflect consciously about any biases you may have.
- Espouse to the fact that psychological safety is crucial across environments.
- Be open to speaking candidly if someone tells you that you have perpetrated microaggression.
This is a sensitive issue that may require a psychologist’s assistance to unearth unconscious biases that affect how you interact with marginalized groups and or if you have been adversely impacted by the microaggressions of others. If this is something you struggle with, we at Miami Psychology Group are here to help. We have trained Licensed Clinical Psychologists that can help you navigate this issue.