Microaggressions in Everyday Life

by Derald Wing Sue, Lisa Spanierman

The essential, authoritative guide to microaggressions, revised and updated

The revised and updated second edition of Microaggressions in Everyday Life presents an introduction to the concept of microaggressions, classifies the various types of microaggressions, and offers solutions for ending microaggressions at the individual, group, and community levels. The authors--noted experts on the topic--explore the psychological effects of microaggressions on both perpetrators and targets.

Subtle racism, sexism, and heterosexism remain relatively invisible and potentially harmful to the wellbeing, self-esteem, and standard of living of many marginalized groups in society. The book examines the manifestations of various forms of microaggressions and explores their impact. The text researching microaggressions, exploring microaggressions in education, identifying best practices teaching about microaggressions, understanding microaggressions in the counseling setting, as well as guidelines for combating microaggressions. Each chapter concludes with a section called "The Way Forward" that provides guidelines, strategies, and interventions designed to help make our society free of microaggressions. This important

Offers an updated edition of the seminal work on microaggressions Distinguishes between microaggressions and macroaggressions Includes new information on social media as a key site where microaggressions occur Presents updated qualitative and quantitative findings Introduces the concept of microinterventions Contains new coverage throughout the text with fresh examples and new research findings from a wide range of studies Written for students, faculty, and practitioners of psychology, education, social work, and related disciplines, the revised edition of Microaggressions in Everyday Life illustrates the impact microaggressions have on both targets and perpetrators and offers suggestions to eradicate microaggressions.

Genres: Psychology, Race, Nonfiction, Sociology, Feminism, Social Justice, Queer

353 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Derald Wing Sue is a professor of counseling psychology at Columbia University. He has authored several books, including Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice, Overcoming our Racism, and Understanding Abnormal Behavior.

Reviews

[Gayle Pitman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Derald Wing Sue is a rock star in the world of multicultural psychology and anti-racism work. He was one of my graduate-level professors and is a class act. The concept of microaggressions is a relatively new idea in the psychology of prejudice, discrimination, and oppression, and Sue addresses this phenomenon - the experience of subtle, covert, under-the-radar forms of discrimination and marginalization - and backs it with the latest scientific findings. While Sue addresses race, gender, and sexual orientation in this book, Sue's experience base is with race and ethnicity, and to me race seemed to be handled more comfortably and seamlessly than gender and sexual orientation. Nevertheless, an excellent read.

[Harold · Rating 1 out of 5]

I suppose that I haven't finished the entire book but I can't help but feel this book is being over hyped. Yes, microaggressions exist. And Dr. Sue does a wonderful job in illustrating what microaggressions are and how they can cause harm. And for a lot of people that is enough. But when I bought this book I at least expected a more thought out explanation of why microaggressions exist the "hurr durr racism."

And that is my big problem with the book. I like psychology. I like to read books about psychology. I, as a reader, should not be able to read about this topic and guess that microaggressions are caused by group psychology and application of stereotypes upon individuals and not have that thought at least denied by him. The closest he ever gets is in explaining how oppression hurts the opposser too but he stops at racism, as if that is the only answer. This book feels like its applicable to one country (U.S.A.) at one point in time (Now).

This book also feels very anti-white. I know that might seem narrow-minded of me but he does a very poor job of illustrating microaggressions against anything except a minority group. He doesn't provide one example of a microaggression against a white person based off the color of their skin. He provides one example of a microaggression against a predominately white group (Jews) and that was more towards ethnicity then the fact they were male or white. He doesn't provide one to reflect maleness or really any against those that he states are in power. Which makes his statement that microaggression effect all of us a bit hollow.

He also tends to use poor examples. The first paragraph in the book is an excellent example of three people failing to communicate. His first anecdotal example in chapter 2 shows more that he was an aggressor rather then the victim when confronting someone about microaggressions. Really, the conclusion that the victim decides when he or she is a victim is sketchy at best. It takes away from the point when I can look at what he's referencing and go "you called her a racist in a passive aggressive manner and you can't understand why she's being defensive."

Overall this book angered me more then enlightened me. I would have loved it if he combined more branches of psychology such as social psychology or evolutionary psychology to explain why microaggression exist. At least then I wouldn't read the book hearing "You're white. You're male. You're the problem." As it stands, might be a good introduction to confirm your suspicions but if you didn't think they were a thing to being with its more likely to turn your off rather then on.

[Garní · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for anyone in relationship or who
Interacts with other people. Period.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you work with people, you should read this. A deep look into what we say and how it's perceived.

[Keiko SHIKITA Yasushima · Rating 5 out of 5]

邦訳版を読了。人種、ジェンダー、性的指向に基づくマイクロアグレッションについて具体例をふんだんに盛り込みながら詳細に論じられている。マイクロアグレッションの中にも種類があり、特にマイクロインバリデーション（無効化）については、一番わかりにくいが頻繁に起こっている事象なのではないかと考えた。カラーブラインドはマイクロインバーリデーションの一形態で、メリトクラシーの神話とも相まってマイノリティが評価されない状況を正当化してしまう。アカデミー賞で「ミナリ」がアジア系アメリカ人の監督作品として初めて最優秀作品賞としてノミネートされ、Steven Yuenが主演男優賞にノミネートされたのもアジア系として史上初というニュースが数日前に報道された。この本を読み進めているところだったので、ハリウッドに蔓延する白人至上主義は深刻であり、マイノリティが排除され続けてきたという指摘が腑に落ちた。翻訳もわかりやすく、今のタイミングで読めて良かったと思える一冊だった。

[MacKenzie Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a dense, textbook style examination of microaggressions but extremely eye opening. Helped me recognize my own biases and missteps as well as what I have had to endure and how that has affected me. Think this should be required reading and research for anyone who is a human that interacts with other humans. This book changed my life for the better.

**the one negative strike on this book: misspelling of Barack Obama... had to just ignore that

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I’m probably not the target audience for this book, it was an effective nudge to encourage self reflection. A co-worker uses some of the author’s videos in her senior high classroom. I look forward to watching them and learning more.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

MICROAGGRESSIONS: Commonplace, brief verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial, gender, sexual-orientation, and religious slights and insults to the target person or group. Perpetrators of microaggressions are often unaware that they engage in such communications when they interact with racial/ethnic minorities.

This book was informative in so many ways. Because I had it on loan from the library and not on a kindle, I typed up the highlights and things I wanted to remember and be able to reference...to the tune of 12 single spaced pages in Word. If you are interested in reading the "Morain Notes" I can send it to you. There was a lot to unpack.

So how to summarize? I'll do my best here! I'll note first that whereas the author tried to incorporate not just race but also gender and LGBT microaggressions, most of the book focused on race, and therefore many of my comments will, too.

Three forms of Microaggressions were defined:

1. Microassaults are conscious, deliberate, and either subtle or explicit racial, gender, or sexual-orientation biased attitudes, believes, or behaviors that are communicated to marginalized groups through environmental cues, verbalizations, or behaviors. These are the "old fashioned racism" statements and you know them when you hear or see them - they are blatant and obvious.

2. Microinsults are characterized by interpersonal or environmental communications that convey stereotypes, rudeness, and insensitivity and that demean a person's racial, gender, or sexual orientation, heritage, or identity. Microinsults represent subtle snubs, frequently outside of conscious awareness of the perpetrator, but they convey an oftentimes hidden insulting message to the recipient of these groups. Example: You are so articulate.

3. Microinvalidations are characterized by communications or environmental cues that exclude, negate, or nullify the psychological thoughts, feelings, or experiential reality of certain groups, such as people of color, women, and LGBTs. Example: I don't see color. In many ways, microinvalidations may potentially represent the most damaging form of the three microaggressions because they directly and insidiously deny the racial, gender, or sexual orientation reality of these groups.

What I found interesting is that we may THINK there is less racism now than before, and to a certain extent that may be true, but what this book illustrates is that Whites still communicate their implicit bias in ways that which they are not even aware. And that is what makes it so damaging - because it is seemingly invisible.

The book discusses the Catch-22 about if the person should say something to the perpetrator or not. It can be very tiring for a person who encounters microaggressions day in and day out to take the time to speak up for themselves, never mind the fact that in doing so, the perpetrator often becomes defensive, explains that "they didn't mean anything by it" and in the end, the conversation becomes about them instead of the victim. On the other hand, by not saying anything, there is damage done to the victim explained as a death by 1,000 cuts.

I loved the section about the point of view of the perpetrator because I have been that perpetrator and I have said many of the things this book explains I should NOT do! I bet if you are reading this you may relate to what I will share next and I will close with sharing what to do instead.

When someone brings up a microaggression either that you (if you are White) made or another White made, the immediate reaction is defensiveness. There is a fear of appearing racist and Whites often overcompensate by becoming "color-blind" and say things like "I don't see color" or "I treat everyone equally". Next, there is an aversion toward acknowledging one's racism. Quote from book: " White Euro Americans have been taught on a conscious level and genuinely believe in egalitarian values, that everyone should be treated equally, and that they would never intentionally discriminate against others. Their self-identity is encased in a strong belief in their own morality and decency as human beings. To acknowledge they harbor anti-minority feelings and have acted in ways that oppress other shatters their self-concept as good an moral humans." Next, there is a fear of acknowledging White privilege. It may be hard for some to entertain that they achieved any of their success not from their own individual efforts. This is where people will say things like "people should pull themselves up by their bootstraps" without acknowledging that it is easier for Whites to do so by virtue of the color of their skin. Lastly, the is a fear of taking personal responsibility to end racism because it makes taking risks and potentially alienating family, friends and colleagues.

Picture the last time you experienced or where part of a discussion about racism. Did you or someone else use any of these phrases?
• I /she/he/they didn't MEAN anything by it! Can't they understand there was no negative intention?
• I understand what you are going through as a Black person because I am discriminated against because I am a woman.
• I have Black friends!
• Why do they have to be so angry all the time?
• Why is everyone so sensitive these days?

WHAT YOU CAN DO
Try not to get angry or defensive if someone gets angry with you for using a microaggression - listen to what they are saying and think about THEIR perspective and then say you are sorry. Do not invalidate their experience by saying they are being overly sensitive or be quick to dismiss it by saying you didn't mean anything by it. You don't need to make an excuse or try to explain - just apologize and shut up. It took courage for them to speak up about how they were feeling. Don't make the conversation all about you and use that time to defend who you are and what you meant. Don't take it personally - the victim is NOT trying to say you are a horrible person. They are simply sharing how what you said made them feel. Give the person grace if they exhibit frustration or anger in how they express what they are thinking or feeling because this is not just something that happened one time. It is always happening....and just because we cannot see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. In the moment, you do not need to even fully understand what you did. Again, just say you are sorry and if you want to learn more, educate yourself....you can read this book, for example! :)

[Madeline]

I think this is a really great book, and I didn't read all of it. So naturally I'm going to talk about two tiny things that don't actually have much of an impact on the value of this book.

1) I'm not sure street harassment and racial slurs count as micro aggressions.

2) President Obama's first name is misspelled every time it appears [that I saw]. Maybe the copy editor should be taken aside?

[Deedee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I turned a little sour on him when at the beginning of his book, he himself falls into the microagression trap when he talks about females. I've got the place marked but I'm not interested enough right now in going to my book shelf, plucking down the book, and giving you the page number.

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tad expensive but worth every penny. Blew my mind and helped me understand so much

[Nyah August · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loooved this book. Lead to a massive paradigm shift


Main Takeaways:

Microaggressions can have a significant negative mental health impact when they occur repeatedly throughout a person's life. It's not just about individual instances but the cumulative effect they can have

While overt racism has decreased, it has taken on more subtle and insidious forms that hide in our cultural beliefs, institutional practices, and even our own minds

The first step in combating unconscious bias is to bring it out into the open and make it visible

People of color often experience racism as an ongoing reality, while some white individuals downplay or deny its existence, creating a clash of racial perspectives

Discrimination can manifest in everyday situations, like black pedestrians struggling to hail a taxi due to racial bias

Studies have revealed unconscious biases in law enforcement, with officers more likely to shoot unarmed black suspects and harsher sentences given to individuals with more Afrocentric facial features

Microinsults and microinvalidations occur when explicit and implicit messages conflict, creating confusion and stress for both the perpetrators and those on the receiving end

The way we interpret and respond to microaggressions can either amplify or minimize their impact on us

Coping responses to microaggressions vary greatly, ranging from functional actions like self-care and education to maladaptive behaviors such as depression, substance abuse, or anger

Compliance demands in oppressive systems can lead to internalized racism, sexism, and heterosexism, where individuals sacrifice their own identity to please those in power

Biases and prejudices become deeply ingrained in society through socialization and cultural conditioning, shaping future generations' beliefs and behaviors

Microaggressions can take many forms, including language that infantilizes older individuals or denying responsibility for historical injustices

Women are often socialized to view themselves from an external perspective, leading to issues with body image, anxiety, depression, and eating disorders

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the 2nd edition, from 2020, which seems to have been substantially revised and reformatted.

This challenged me to be better in some areas, validated me in other areas, and made me aware that some changes in my own behavior were to avoid gender-based microaggressions. Some of the recommendations to reduce/address microaggressions will be really useful in the classroom and other areas of my work.

Caveats:
This also included sanist and other ableist microaggressions. (tbh, I think to revise this to adequately account for sanism and ableism and how those things are mutually constituted with racialization and gender norms would directly challenge a lot of the field of psychology so I'm not holding my breath on it getting addressed. But if anyone reading this is curious, check out the Disability Justice movement Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice .)

I was also struck by how odd some of the content was in relation to queer/trans/gender microaggressions. And that made me realize that lateral violence isn't ever acknowledged and nor is colorism. CRT is only mentioned in the citations, but that kind of legalistic, US-based framework seems to undergird a lot of microaggressions theory. (Both useful theories, so long as you remember not to use a hammer when you want to swat a fly.)

[Ms. Yvette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Should be mandatory reading for every teacher and mental health professional, especially.

[Erika]

https://www.huffingtonpost.jp/entry/s...

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very academic, but helpful.

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative, lots of research to backup up points, and provide avenues for future research exploration

[Teresa Kmetz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as part of a work book club; we read one chapter most weeks. It is a textbook and reads like one. I have taken away a lot from this book and will continue to think about what I read.

[Adam Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Microaggressions have gotten a bad rap in the media in the last couple of years, who usually associate them with overly-fragile millennials, who are, if these commentariats are to be believed, the source of all things lazy and pathetic in modern life. Given that this construction of millennials is entirely mythological (as a generation, we are the hardest working, lowest-compensated, most eager to volunteer, most interested in matters of justice, and most concerned about the well-being of others in a long, long time), one can be forgiven for suspecting the objections to the very notion of microaggressions is also bogus. So I got this book.

It turns out I was right. Microaggressions are a real thing, that have been repeatedly proven in the research to cause real, physiological, emotional, and psychological issues for those who must endure them. They are not the refuge of over-sensitive crybabies (though a case could be made that hysterical denunciations of microaggressions may be).

The author gives a number of helpful examples of microaggressions and why they are so difficult to pin down, let alone address. Often they are perceived by the perpetrator as intended to be helpful, or contain no prejudice at all. For example, when then-candidate Joe Biden was asked to remark on Obama's success, he praised the now-President by saying he was well-spoken and dressed well - implying that this was unusual for black Americans as a group, and thus a form of implicit bias. In the same election year, 2008, then-candidate John McCain encountered a woman accusing Obama of being a Muslim. McCain responded by saying that Obama wasn't a Muslim, he was a good family man and a patriotic American - implicitly saying that Muslims could not be good family men or patriotic Americans. The author (an Asian-American) then gave an example from his personal life - he and a colleague, a black woman, were on a small airplane where passengers could sit anywhere they wanted. They chose the front of the plane. A number of white businessmen got on as well. The Stewardess got on the plane and asked the two people of color to please move to the back of the airplane to balance the weight distribution without looking at or asking anyone else, or simply asking the group as a whole if there would be any volunteers. This is an example of simply not being aware of prejudice or of context (asking the people of color to "go to the back of the bus," essentially).

A lot of good material here for paying attention to our words, and to look and listen to the experiences of others who see the world differently.

[Tyff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book would be a great tool for introducing intercultural communication in the USA and for students to question their assumptions of others.

If you have ever locked your car doors when you see a group of black kids approaching you then this book is a MUST read.

If you are a person of color you will relate to soo much discussed here. Basically it explains what you feel in some situations yet cannot quite determine why it feels racist.

Don't believe microagression exists? Check out this story about a college student who was arrested because the store clerk didn't "think" he could afford the item he just purchased. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10...

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good! I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 only because I think the lay reader only needs to really read the first half or so to get Sue's argument. Racial microaggressions explain so much about the persistence of racism in a world that claims to deplore racism. Every year I tell my students that the (only) good thing about the fact that race is a social construct is that if we made it, we can get rid of it. And while understanding microaggressions helps me see the problem so much more clearly, it also confirms for me that race and racism are powerful and universal parts of our psyche and will be incredibly hard to dismantle. We have a lot of work to do.

[Rants and Bants]

If "microaggressions" are a thing (usually they're nothing more than an SJW getting their panties twisted over a mere disagreement or something equally harmless), then they exist against everyone. NOT just the "traditionally disadvantaged groups." Which by that they probably mean women, minorities, and lgbt peoples despite the fact that many of them have decent well-off lives and plenty of straight white males out there are poor, and THAT is what disadvantaged truly means. But I digress.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book and learning more about a topic that gets thrown around on the internet. I am much more knowledgeable having read this book.

The focus is on microaggressions and how they relate to race, gender, and sexual orientation. Reading the sections on gender and sexual orientation were validating, illuminating, and accurately describe my (or close friends)experiences...the sections on race made me think about how I move throughout the world.

[Alaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very informative read!

A very informative book that is very current and educational. I must read for individuals that are struggling to understand how they can make a difference in our current climate of social unrest.

[Anne V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking

Thought provoking and depressing in equal measure. The book convincingly explains the extent of damage done by everyday microaggressions and how very common they are. Where it falters is in discussing solutions... possibly because there are too few.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sue continues to be pushing psychology and multiculturalism further ahead.

[Tz348 · Rating 4 out of 5]

rigid prose
vivid examples

[Mills College Library]

305 S944 2010

[Aga Byrczek · Rating 5 out of 5]

simply brilliant work!