What Are Microaggressions?

Have you ever felt like you were on the receiving end of a subtle form of prejudice or stereotyping? Like someone just said or did something that made you dislike or judge you because of your race, gender, sexual orientation, or other characteristic associated with a marginalized group? If so, you may experience what is called micromigration.

What are micromigrations?

Although subtle and potentially less harmful than overt prejudice or intolerance, microaggressions also have an effect. In fact, periodic exposure to chronic microaggressions can harm your mental health.

For this reason, it is important that we collectively do not simply ignore their presence or pretend that something does not bother us. Instead, as a society, we need to recognize them and move forward with a unified strategy to reduce their impact. Below are some definitions of microaggressions, as well as ideas on how to mitigate them or minimize their effects.

History

The term micromigration was first coined in the 1970s by Harvard Medical School psychologist Chester Pierce as a reaction to observing insults exchanged between white and black students. Later in 2007, Columbia University psychologist Darald Xu further popularized and defined the term.

It is important to note that individuals who engage in micromigration may or may not be doing so on purpose. Instead, these actions or comments may reflect prejudices held by a particular group about other groups of people.

This fact is important when we consider an antidote to the epidemic of microaggressions, because it suggests that if people are made aware of the impact of their words and actions, they can change what they do and what they say.

Of course, there are some people who are consciously aware of what they are doing, and may be doing it with the intent to do harm.

Types of micromigration

Darald Xu and colleagues discuss the different subtypes of micromigration.A list of these different types appears below:

Micro attack

Microinvasion is the most common type of microaggression. Most often they are done on purpose and the person knows they are hurtful and insulting. An example of this would be using a derogatory term to refer to a person of a particular race, with the knowledge that the term has a derogatory meaning.

Micro insults

Micro insults are more subtle than microaggressions. These are usually comments with an underlying meaning or backhand definition. For example, micro-insults might include saying that someone only got their job because of affirmative action.

Micro errors

Micro-mistakes include telling a marginalized group that their experiences of prejudice don’t matter or that they are overreactive or sensitive to what is being said. In other words, a micro-abuse can follow a micro-attack or a micro-insult.

Environmental micromigrations

Environmental microaggressions include something in a person’s environment that sends a message of invalidity to a marginalized group. For example, a child who watches a television show and only sees actors of a different race may not be excluded or represented because of media portrayals.

Beyond the different types of micromigration, we can also consider the different types of groups affected in society.

Groups affected by micromigration

What groups are affected by micromigration? Any marginalized group has the potential to be a target of micromigration. Historically, this has included ethnic minorities, women, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ, although any disadvantaged group has the potential to be affected, including those with mental illness.

Examples of micromigration

What are some examples of micromigration? They are everyday situations that act on a derogatory tone because of a person’s verbal or unconventional actions. Below are some specific examples of different types of micromigration that you may have observed or experienced in everyday life.

• A patient is waiting to see a medical professional in a hospital. A woman enters the room, and the patient assumes she is a nurse rather than a doctor.
• A person meets someone who is a visible minority and asks where they are “really” from.
• A person is walking down the street and crosses to the other side of the street to avoid (fearing) someone because of their appearance (i.e., a visible minority).
• A situation where someone tells someone who is LGBTQ that they don’t seem “gay” or some other similar phrase.
• A woman speaks up during a business meeting and is told afterwards that she is too aggressive.
• A person who is a visible minority is told that they are very visible.
• A person who is a visible minority (eg, Asian) is told that they must be good at math because of their race.
• Pronouns used in a document or other communication exclude women or other groups of individuals (eg, LGBTQ).

Effects of micromigration

What are the effects of micromigration on the people who are targeted? While it may seem like these small slights and insults won’t have a big impact, in fact, research has shown that the cumulative effect of microaggressions over time has a significant impact on the mental health of targets.

In addition, it has been shown that there is a correlation between the number of microaggressions and the level of mental health problems or depression. Microaggressions are also associated with other psychological disorders, including low self-esteem and PTSD.

The primary way in which stress and its effects on mental health are experienced is frustration and not knowing how to respond.

All of these issues compound microaggressions and create a fog of self-doubt that leads to diminished mental health. That way, it’s not just about getting your feelings hurt. It’s about chronic stress that triggers anger and anxiety and has devastating long-term effects. It’s the little digressions you hear over and over that can ultimately wreak havoc on your mental health.

Coping with micromigration

How do you cope if you are the target of microaggression? If you’ve been the victim of a micro-insult or a micro-attack or some other type of microaggression, you may feel confused about how to respond.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. However, it is important to take some action to protect your mental health. As already noted, feeling frustrated and unable to respond will lead to chronic stress and destroy your mental health.

It’s also important to highlight microaggressions because otherwise, letters won’t know how they made you feel. While it may feel natural to be upset or angry, a better approach would be to calmly express how the situation made you feel, so that the other person is aware.

While the obvious microaggressions can be difficult to deal with (eg, the person intentionally tried to make you feel bad), the unintentional ones can be easier to treat.

Preventing micromigration

How do we stop micromigration as a society, and as members of the global community? In addition to calmly explaining how microaggression hurts you as a target, you also need to talk about how to avoid engaging in microaggression yourself.

The truth is that most of us want to believe that we are good people (and most of us are), and so the notion that what we are saying or doing is offensive or disrespectful to others poses a threat to our sense of self.

Thus, the only way to stop micromigration is for everyone to confront their inherent biases. And to do that, you’ll need to expose yourself to a wide variety of situations and people, and perhaps even things that make you uncomfortable.

Also, if someone speaks up and tells you that something you said or did hurt them, it’s important to listen. Above all, think before you speak and consider how it will affect the people around you.

Microaggressions cause others to feel dismissed, alienated, insulted, or invalid. They dispute power and privilege and overtly and perpetuate stereotypes and racism. For this reason, evaluate your biases, watch your speech, and censor yourself when your words hurt.

When deciding whether to address a microaggression head, psychology professor Kevin Nadal lists five questions to consider in his book “A Guide to Responding to Microaggressions.”

• If I respond, could my physical safety be at risk?
• If I answer, will the person become defensive and will it lead to an argument?
• If I answer, how will it affect my relationship with the person (eg, co-workers, family members, etc.)
• If I don’t answer, do I have to say something?
• If I don’t respond, does that mean I accept the behavior or statement?

The main causes of micromigration

What are the main causes of micromigration? There is no easy answer, as many of the types of prejudice in question are partly the result of centuries of systemic racism and stereotyping that have persisted to this day, even as we have moved towards a more equal society. Matters like the following may linger in our collective consciousness:

• Stereotypical portrayals of minorities in popular literature, film and television
• Whitewashing or glossing over parts of our history
• Being socialized by an older people who can take their ideas from a more intolerant time
• Easier to blame others than face your own problems

Overcoming microaggressions

Some argue that the solution to this problem is not to increase political correctness, but to get to the root of the problem.

It might be better, for example, to police language in a way that doesn’t create too many barriers between people, because people who don’t understand their inherent biases are unlikely to change their words or behavior.

For this reason, and to avoid promoting a sense of being victimized (and powerless) to the targets of micromigrations, a better solution may be to develop strategies to reduce bias and the larger underlying structural problems that lead to the types of bias that make micromigrations more common.

Clearly, this is a complex undertaking, and one that has been going on for decades, with a lot of work to do.