Page 108 - Microaggressions in Everyday Live Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation

82 the microaggression process model

and you ’ re forced to conform in a certain way, but you kind of hate to do it. ” Another
described it in the following way: “ there ’ s a part of me that always feels like I ’ m

pretending at my job . . . . I always feel like it ’ s a mask . . . you can ’ t really say what ’ s
on your mind, or you have to fi lter it through so many lenses till it comes out sound-
ing acceptable to whoever ’ s listening. ”

Pressure to Represent One ’ s Group
A very common experience reported by people of color is a powerful pres-
sure to represent their groups well. They had a heightened awareness that
every mistake, every failing, and every defi ciency exhibited by them would
be attributed to their respective minority groups. For example, one par-
ticipant relayed her feeling that any mistakes she makes will affect Black
women who come after her in the job: “ If I screw up, every Black woman after

me, or every Black person after me is going to have to take it, because I screwed

up . . . so I carry that pressure with me. ” Some participants felt an increased
pressure to act or perform in a certain way so as not to confi rm particular
stereotypes about their group. For example, “ as a Black woman, you have
to put in that extra because maybe their expectations of you are going to be

lower. ” As will be reported shortly, this latter phenomenon has been labeled
“ stereotype threat ” and its effects can have devastating consequences for
people of color and women (Cardinu, Maass, Rosabianca, & Kiesner, 2005;
Steele, 2003; Steele et al., 2002).
In conclusion, our studies (Sue, Capodilupo, & Holder, 2008; Sue, Lin,
Torino, et al., 2009; Sue, Nadal, et al., 2008) identifi ed five general phases which

could be logically ordered from inception to consequence in a sequential fash-
ion: Incident → Perception → Reaction → Interpretation → Consequence. It
is important to note, however, that these phases did not arise sequentially. In
other words, responses from people of color might begin with a discussion
of their reactions before addressing their perceptions and interpretations of
the incidents. We must entertain the possibility that these phases may occur
in a different order, overlap with one another, be cyclical, and/or interact in a
more complex manner.
Nevertheless, it is safe to say that potential microaggressive incidents set
in motion a chain of events that may be energy - depleting and/or disruptive
to cognitive, emotional, and behavioral domains (Purdie - Vaughns et al., 2008;
Salvatore & Shelton, 2007; Sue, Lin, Torino, et al., 2009). Perceptual questioning

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