Research In Action

You may have heard of the term “microaggressions” in the workplace during Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training and even more often in social media where this term has become a buzzword since 2020 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased saliency of police brutality and violence directed towards persons of color.  

What are microaggressions and macroaggressions? 

Microaggressions are defined as “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults to the target person or group.”  

Taking our researcher hats off, what does this definition mean? We ask this question because despite the burgeoning scholarship on “microaggressions,” misunderstanding and misuse of this term has emerged, largely because of the “micro” part of the term. “Micro” implies small or minimal which makes it challenging to understand the deep harm of subtle discriminatory behaviors. These behaviors are referred to as “micro” because they occur at the interpersonal (micro) level between a perpetrator and a target or a group of targets. However, they happen repeatedly to minoritized individuals, such that they are faced daily with subtle slights and discriminatory behaviors due to their minoritized background (e.g., a Black woman is told that she is surprisingly articulate). 

On the other hand, macroaggressions refer to the systemic and institutionalized forms of bias and oppression that impact the lives of entire groups of minoritized people. They are embedded in the policies, procedures, and practices that oppress minoritized groups of individuals, ranging from a society to an institution, such as the travel ban against people from Muslim countries entering the U.S. (Executive Order 13769), the absence of representation of minoritized groups in media, and how medical education curricula often reinforce asymmetrical power differences in ways that disadvantage minoritized trainees. 

Macroaggressions are indeed interconnected with microaggressions. Tackling the profound and pervasive impact of macroaggressions needs to focus on addressing microaggressions, particularly when perpetrated by those who are in positions of power, authority, or leadership as the starting point. These leaders often act unwittingly as agents of systemic racism as they reinforce institutional policies and procedures that disproportionately benefit those with privilege. 

Addressing Racial and Intersectional Microaggressions and Macroaggression

To our knowledge, there are no existing programs that directly address the behavioral manifestation of racial and intersectional microaggressions and macroaggressions (RIMMAs). The existing microaggression interventions mainly focus on raising awareness rather than skill-building, which is arguably more effective in changing discriminatory behaviors.  

Our team developed Respect4All to teach targets (victims) and bystanders (allies) of RIMMAs how to respond in these situations and to help perpetrators learn skills for being both proactive and amenable to change when confronted. In a recent study, we found that the program was rated quite acceptable and feasible, and participants demonstrated higher likelihood and confidence in using a range of strategies in handling microaggressions when in an ally/target role and in a perpetrator role. 

Below are some of the strategies we describe in a recently published book chapter, adapted from the pioneer work of Sue and colleagues:

• When in the role of a target or bystander, we could do the following: 
  • Weaken the microaggression by naming it or calling it out (e.g., saying “that’s a racist behavior or comment”) 
  • Asking for clarification by indicating “I did not understand that. What did you mean?”
  • Voicing one’s disapproval by saying, e.g., “I do not agree with that” or by shaking one’s head 
  • Highlighting the impact regardless of intent, e.g., saying “I’m guessing your comment was intended to compliment me on how well-spoken I am, but it implies that you were surprised that I would be articulate” when someone comments that “you are articulate” 
  • Reporting the microaggressive behavior through a workplace hotline, talking with Human Resources about the behaviors, and/or discussing concerns with a supervisor or boss 
• When in the role of a perpetrator, we could do the following when the microaggression is brought to our attention: 
  • Maintain composure when being confronted and apologize
  • Listen to the explanation of the behavior's impact on the target 
  • Recognize the other person’s perspective or feeling, e.g., saying “I did not realize that this made you feel poorly. Thank you for sharing this with me so that I can be aware of this for the future.”

Compared to the literature on developing and using strategies to address microaggressions, there is much less research on addressing macroaggressions, and nearly all the existing literature is theoretical. Translating these research-based strategies to address macro-level policies and procedures that disproportionately disadvantage those from minoritized backgrounds in real-world practice is one of our future directions for expanding Respect4All.