Page 126 - Microaggressions in Everyday Live Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation

100 microaggressive stress

validity, evidence now points to social and psychological factors as important
contributors as well: gender - role conflicts; sexism in overt, covert, and subtle

forms; subservience to men; lack of educational opportunities; lower sense of
self - control; and sexual and child abuse (Capodilupo et al., in press; Hill &
Fisher, 2008; D. Sue, Sue, & Sue, 2010).
A significant relationship between depression and subjective well - being also

seems to exist between perceived discrimination and that of depression among
African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latino/a Americans (Hwang &
Goto, 2008; Utsey et al., 2008; Williams, Neighbors, & Jackson, 2003). Indeed,
rates of depression have been found to be higher for Native Americans and
Southeast Asians (Vega & Rumbaut, 1991; Chung & Okazaki, 1991). Recall that
researchers believe that stressors that humiliate tended to be correlated with
depressive disorders, while stressors that produce fear are associated with anxi-
ety disorders. As microaggressions have been described as demeaning, insulting,
and humiliating, one can understand how these race - related stressors may
produce depression and lead to negative subjective feelings in people of color.

Cognitive Effects of Microaggressive Stressors

Racism, sexism, and heterosexism affect many more aspects of mental health
functioning than just depression and feelings of subjective well - being. The
cumulative impact of chronic stressors diminishes the quality of life; lowers
life satisfaction, happiness, and self - esteem; increases cultural mistrust, feelings
of alienation, anxiety, and feelings of loss, helplessness, and racial rage; and
may result in fatigue and exhaustion (Clark et al., 1999; Harrell, 2000; Jackson
et al., 1992; Jackson et al., 1995; Jones, 1997; Sue, 2003; Ponterotto, Utsey, &
Pedersen, 2006). We have already seen how stress affects the biological and
physical well - being of marginalized groups. On a biological level, stress
depresses the immune system and makes people more susceptible to catching

colds and other illnesses. We briefly turn our attention now to how stress impacts
the cognitive functioning of marginalized groups.
In Chapter 4 , we describe how a microaggression often sets off a chain of
cognitive processes aimed at attempting to understand and make sense of the
incident. The greater the ambiguity of microaggressions, the more diffi cult it
is for the target to determine the meaning of the conflicting messages. Thus,

a request from a White teacher to an Asian American student to move to the
blackboard and show other students how to solve a math problem, because
“ You people are good at that, ” may provoke an internal thought process

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