Microaggressions can have serious impacts on the health and wellness of those targeted. Try these strategies for coping with the everyday prejudice you might experience, writes the CornellBCTR
The review authors also summarize the research on coping mechanisms for people who experience microaggressions and identify three common strategies.
Collective coping involves looking for connection and support from family and friends, and community and professional networks. This could be anything from joking about microaggressions with loved ones to joining a formal mentoring program or living in cultural housing at a university. This strategy often involves microaffirmations — essentially the opposite of microaggressions — where people of color consciously affirm each other’s value, integrity, and shared humanity.
A second coping strategy referred to as resistance coping, involves combating microaggressions by resisting Eurocentric norms, defying stereotypes, and confronting perpetrators directly. Strategies run the gamut. This could involve straying from stereotypes of appearance, such as when black women leave their hair natural. Other examples include working extra hours or extra hard to combat the stereotype of laziness or directly confronting the individual who engages in microaggression.
A third coping strategy is called self-protective coping; it involves using self-care to protect against microaggressions. Research offers a wide range of examples including choosing to adopt a positive outlook, picking your battles, and setting boundaries. In one study, a Black participant explained he read biographies of prominent African Americans who overcame adversity to remind himself that he too can also overcome stereotypes and insults.
The take-home message: Microaggression is a serious problem for minorities. Evidence shows they lead to both psychological and physical harm, but there are effective coping strategies that potentially mitigate their negative consequences.
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