The Role of Social Support in Disarming the Effects of Racial Microaggressions

Abstract

Racial microaggressions are a significant source of stress for people of color. This study identified two support message features for disarming the effects of racial microaggressions and tested reasons for their effectiveness. In a between-groups design, Black/African Americans ( n = 387), and Asian Americans ( n = 374) evaluated a support message crafted by a friend in response to one of six racial microaggressions. Participants perceived high person-centered, racial identity-affirming, and combination support messages as more effective and collective self-esteem enhancing than low quality message versions. Person-centered emotional support and combination messages were partly related to enhanced collective self-esteem through cognitive reappraisal and reattribution, while racial identity affirmation message quality was partly related to enhanced collective self-esteem through reattribution. Conditional process analyses determined that indirect effects were not contingent on participants’ race. Practical and theoretical implications of studying support messages to address racial microaggressions are discussed.

Working while Black: examining the career development gap in the Black workforce and investigating the racist roots of professionalism

“…Negative internalized racism emerges from experiences of oppression and racism, leading Black individuals to perceive themselves as less valuable or competent than others (Brown & Segrist, 2015;Marks et al, 2020). Such negative experiences have psychological repercussions, prompting Black individuals to feel the need to conform by, for example, straightening their hair or endorsing negative stereotypes about Black people (Brown & Segrist, 2015;Ferguson & Dougherty, 2022;Manohar & Kline, 2023). Brown and Segrist (2015) underscored the need for more literature to shed light on how internalized racism and oppression can impact the career development and aspirations of Black individuals.…”

“…The distinction between racial microaggressions and racism lies in their definitions. Racism encompasses a system of beliefs or structures that systematically favor one race or ethnic group while disadvantaging others (Manohar & Kline, 2023;Oladipo, 2020). In contrast, racial microaggressions emerge from subtle forms of bias and racism that are not overtly displayed but manifest in everyday interactions, conveying disparaging and derogatory messages to communities of color or a racial group (Manohar & Kline, 2023;Pitcan et al, 2018).…”

“…Racism encompasses a system of beliefs or structures that systematically favor one race or ethnic group while disadvantaging others (Manohar & Kline, 2023;Oladipo, 2020). In contrast, racial microaggressions emerge from subtle forms of bias and racism that are not overtly displayed but manifest in everyday interactions, conveying disparaging and derogatory messages to communities of color or a racial group (Manohar & Kline, 2023;Pitcan et al, 2018). Racial microaggressions are manifested through actions and behaviors, whereas racism pertains to a belief system (Manohar & Kline, 2023;Marks et al, 2020;Oladipo, 2020).…”

“…Microaggressions manifest as microassaults, microinsults, and microinvalidations (Gunby & Gunby, 2016;Manohar & Kline, 2023). They can be intentionally inflicted to cause harm, verbally or nonverbally, including the use of hate speech or the display of racist symbols or images (Gunby & Gunby, 2016;Manohar & Kline, 2023).…”

“…Microaggressions manifest as microassaults, microinsults, and microinvalidations (Gunby & Gunby, 2016;Manohar & Kline, 2023). They can be intentionally inflicted to cause harm, verbally or nonverbally, including the use of hate speech or the display of racist symbols or images (Gunby & Gunby, 2016;Manohar & Kline, 2023). While some microaggressions are overtly offensive, others are covert, such as insulting a person's racial identity through seemingly complimentary remarks that actually reinforce White traditional norms.…”