Why intent matters in intercultural interactions, and why it does not.
It is important to be humble and to assume good intent when interacting with different cultures.Christina Morillo/Pexelsand its emotional outcomes, I find myself repeating this well-known line to students. It’s a pithy way to drive home the point that, just because you did not mean to invalidate or insult the other person, it does not mean that psychological harm did not occur.
In our increasingly polarized world, when it comes to responses to interpersonal stressors, such as racial discrimination, folks will likely “pick a side” between the truths captured within these two statements. The intent-does-not-equal-impact group will argue that “assuming best intent” is to stand on the side of those who have perpetuated harm, and consequently, negating the experiences of those who are emotionally injured.
Moreover, it’s a way to illustrate that one powerful way that we know racism is real is through its association with mental health outcomes . In my research program, over and over again, the empirical relationship between the cumulative experience of racial discrimination and emotional well-being is quite clear. Put differently, we might say that racial discrimination is real because it predicts expected things like emotional distress .
In the spirit of vulnerability, here is a brief story that illustrates a time when I demonstrated a lack of humility and therefore did not assume the best intent.
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