Page 131 - Microaggressions in Everyday Live Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation

The Effects of Microaggressive Stress 105

Fatigue and Hopelessness
Microaggressive stressors are taxing to a person both physically and psycho-
logically. Many people of color, women, and LGBTs report exhaustion and
fatigue from the constant petty humiliations, insults, and demeaning situa-
tions they must face in their lives. Physically, they find little energy to deal

with microaggressions, but they also have less energy to devote to things that
bring them joy. They may withdraw from social interactions, isolate them-
selves, and evidence poor or little social behavior. Energy levels are severely
diminished to deal with everyday life events, and they may appear to have
“ given up. ” Hopelessness and helplessness may mean making little effort to
take control of one ’ s life because “ it won ’ t do any good. ” The behavioral signs of
hopelessness have been found to be correlated with depression and suicide.

Strength through Adversity
The “ strength through adversity ” concept was developed primarily through
observing how people of color, despite inhuman racial stressors in their lives

(poverty, lower standards of living, conflicting value systems, racial microag-
gressions, etc.), seemed to continue functioning adaptively and even thriv-
ing in a less than accepting society (Sue, 2003). In Chapter 4 , we describe the
positive strengths and resources available to marginalized groups: heightened
sense of perceptual awareness, ability to accurately read nonverbal and con-

textual cues, bicultural flexibility, and sense of group identity. These attributes
have allowed people of color, women, and LGBTs to cope in a positive way
with racism, sexism, and heterosexism.

The Way Forward

Coping with Microaggressions

It is clear that racial, gender, and sexual-orientation microaggressions, far
from being benign forms of small, trivial, and innocent slights and insults,
represent major stressors for marginalized groups. Their chronicity and
cumulative lifelong nature make microaggressions extremely powerful
stressors. They have been found to cause physiological distress, depress
the immune system, increase susceptibility to infections and diseases,
decrease subjective well-being and life satisfaction, and increase anxiety,

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