Microaggressions are a form of implicit bias against minority groups. They include the everyday slights, prejudices, insults/comments, and other interpersonal reactions that the majority may not be aware of when communicating. They are also portrayed throughout our social environment, like certain school mascots for example. These aggressions are so implicit that they have become normalized among our society and we don’t realize their impact. While microaggressions are mainly studied among people of color, they can still have an impact among other marginalized groups; such as gender and sexuality, disability, etc.
People do not view microaggressions to be as harmful as they actually are. Often deriving from racism and discrimination, microaggressions can be the cause of many types of mental disorders and trauma. Depending on who the victim is, the microaggression is perceived differently by the viewer, even if they don’t think there may be one present. In order to move forward, there needs to be a push for changes in cultural values. However, once these values have been put into practice for many years, it is much harder to manipulate a society’s mindset. If these societies and cultures begin to emphasize pro-sociality- the ability to mesh behaviors, attitudes, and values of different cultures- will increase the well being of society (Biglan & Embry, 2013).
For example, all my life I had heard the microaggression “For a girl you are really smart.” I always wondered why people were so shocked that I am capable of possessing a same or higher level of intelligibility than men. To this day, I still question my ability to succeed in school and pressure myself to maintain good grades in order to disprove this stereotype. Nevertheless, coming into college, this has changed. Due to the prosocial atmosphere, I have experienced my outlook on intelligence change. I came to realize knowledge isn’t gender based but differs on a case by case basis. Now, I do well in school for myself, and not to prove anyone else wrong; dismissing the microaggression from my mind.
This isn’t as easy for people who experience even more microaggressions on an everyday basis. So society should work together in order to promote a more prosocial lifestyle that is understanding of all. This would decrease the use of microaggressions towards marginalized groups as well as the negative mental health impact that comes with their use. The question is: How can we stop the use of something that most don’t see an issue with?
Biglan, A., & Embry, D. D. (2013). A Framework for Intentional Cultural Change. Journal of
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Sue, D. W., Alsaidi, S., Awad, M. N., Glaeser, E., Calle, C. Z., & Mendez, N. (2019). Disarming
racial microaggressions: Microintervention strategies for targets, White allies, and
bystanders. American Psychologist, 74(1), 128–142.