Definition and Impact of Microaggressions

Microaggressions are everyday slights, insults, and invalidations that people of marginalized groups encounter in their interactions with well-intentioned individuals. These subtle acts reflect worldviews of exclusion, superiority, and normality. Microaggressions can target various marginalized groups based on race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, and more, with different themes reinforcing negative stereotypes. Microaggressions can be overt or unconscious, but the unintentional ones tend to have the most harmful effects on mental and physical well-being. Constant exposure to microaggressions reminds individuals they are second-class citizens and triggers past historic traumas, leading to increased anxiety, depression, and lower psychological well-being.