Page 132 - Microaggressions in Everyday Live Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation

106 microaggressive stress

depression, and all forms of mental disorders. Microaggressions have
been found to affect the biological, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral
well-being of marginalized groups. Our chapter review, however, seems
to reveal characteristics of microaggressive stress and how marginalized
groups cope that provide insight into some basic survival and coping
principles that are helpful toward reducing microaggressive stress.

1. Aversive events that are ambiguous, nebulous, and uncertain are more
likely to be stressful than those which have a discrete and clearly defi ned
and obvious cause. Life events such as preparing to take a fi nal exam,
losing a job, not getting a raise, going through a divorce, or becoming
ill are all stressful, but the causes are clear and obvious to the indi-
vidual and others. Microaggressions, however, are oftentimes invisible,
diffuse, and intangible to both the perpetrator and potential target. As
indicated earlier, people of color are less disturbed by overt and blatant
forms of racism than microaggressions that are less obvious and diffi cult
to determine. Reducing ambiguity and uncertainty and making the invis-
ible visible would do much to lower the stress levels among marginal-
ized groups. Indeed, one of the major contributions of microaggression
research has been giving oppressed groups the language and concepts
to speak about their experiences, to be able to name the offenses, to be
liberated, and to feel empowered by the understanding of their experi-
ences. The microaggression taxonomy has allowed many people of color,
women, and LGBTs to define their experiences in concrete terms, to lower

uncertainty, and to increase predictability of aversive events.
2. For the benefi t of marginalized groups, education, training, and research
aimed at identifying practical coping strategies in dealing with micro-
aggressions may prove beneficial. How to confront microaggressors, take

care of one’s psychological health, and promote the education of oppres-
sors are all very important. We know, for example, that psychological with-
drawal, escapism, disengagement, resignation, internalizing racist, sexist,
and heterosexist attributions, and denial of group identities are unhealthy
coping behaviors. Yet little is known about healthy and effective ways that
people of color, women, and LGBTs use to survive microaggressions. Most
of the research on coping with perceived discrimination has defi ned it
as an inner resource or “protective factors” (resistance to stress, high
self-esteem, group identity, optimism, etc.) (Meyer, 2003; Utsey et al.,
2008; Wei et al., 2008; Yoo & Lee, 2008). Few studies have actually

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