Chapter 6 Microaggressions in Counseling and Psychotherapy Flashcards
True/False
Question: A person is more likely to engage in overt discrimination when their anonymity is ensured.
T
One of the conditions under which people are more likely to engage in overt acts of discrimination is when they can be sure they will remain anonymous
Microaggressions can
a. have a detrimental impact upon marginalized groups
b. make clients feel uncomfortable and assail their identity
c. make clients feel they are not accepted unless they conform to others’ standards
d. invalidate the client’s experiential reality
e. All of the choices are correct.
e
Define and describe microaggressions
Microaggressions are “brief and commonplace daily verbal or behavioral indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults that potentially have a harmful or unpleasant psychological impact on the target person or group”
True/False
Question: Modern homonegativity refers to an antigay sentiment that is based on religious or moral condemnation.
F
Old-fashioned homonegativity refers to an antigay sentiment that is based on moral or religious condemnation. Modern homonegativity refers to the belief that prejudice against LGBT people no longer exists and this group contributes to its own marginalization by overemphasizing sexual orientation.
Microaggressions are often subtle and can be manifested in the following realms EXCEPT:
a. verbal
b. nonverbal
c. visual
d. proprioceptive
e. behavioral
d
What does the author Capodilupo (as cited in Sue 8th edition) mean by “Assumption of Abnormality”? Provide some examples of how this might present in a counseling scenario.
- Assumption of Abnormality occurs when it is implied that there is something inherently wrong with being LGBT. This may manifest in counseling when discussing the client’s bisexuality, the therapist continues to imply that there is a “crisis of identity.”
- The message this conveys is that bisexuality represents confusion about the person’s sexual orientation. Another example might be when a lesbian comes in for career counseling, but the therapist continually insists that she needs to discuss her sexuality or it is only a “phase.”
- The implicit message is that the sexual orientation represents a type of pathology, “abnormality” or an instability.
True/False
Question: The largest percentage of religious harassment and civil rights violations in America are committed against Jewish and Muslim individuals.
T
What psychological dilemmas have been identified when microaggressions occurs? SATA
a. clash of sociodemographic realities
b. the invisibility of unintentional expression of bias
c. perceived minimal harm of microaggressions
d. the Catch-22 of responding to microaggressions
a, b, c, d
Describe the “Catch 22 of responding to microagressions.”
- When the receiver is put in the difficult situation of determining what to do, this is known as a “dilemma.” This is complicated by the fact that the receiver probably has a lot of questions. For example, they might ask themselves, “Did what I think happened really happen? If it really did happen, how can I show that it did?” Or, they may ask things like, “What should I say?” Will bringing it to the attention of the person who did it help? If I do answer, will it change how my coworkers, friends, and other people I know feel about me?” Also, many people who do bad things but don’t mean to do so don’t realize how tiring it is for victims to have to deal with their own thoughts and feelings.
Describe the “Catch 22 of responding to microagressions.”
- When the receiver is put in the difficult situation of determining what to do, this is known as a “dilemma.” This is complicated by the fact that the receiver probably has a lot of questions. For example, they might ask themselves, “Did what I think happened really happen? If it really did happen, how can I show that it did?” Or, they may ask things like, “What should I say?” Will bringing it to the attention of the person who did it help? If I do answer, will it change how my coworkers, friends, and other people I know feel about me?” Also, many people who do bad things but don’t mean to do so don’t realize how tiring it is for victims to have to deal with their own thoughts and feelings.
True/False
Question: People are more likely to deny racism or sexism than transphobia.
true
It is generally considered politically incorrect to be racist or sexist in the United States, but people adhere to gender roles and expectations rather strictly and tend to feel more justified in their transphobic views.
Differentiate between microinsult and microassault. Provide a specific example of each.
- Microassaults refer to a blatant verbal, nonverbal, or environmental attack intended to convey discriminatory and biased sentiments. This is related to overt racism, sexism, heterosexism, ableism, and religious discrimination in which individuals deliberately convey derogatory messages to target groups. Some examples might be referring to people by derogatory terms like spic, faggot, or kyke, or only hiring men for managerial positions.
- Microinsults are largely unintentional behaviors or verbal comments that convey rudeness or insensitivity or demean a person’s racial heritage/identity, gender identity, religion, ability, or sexual orientation identity. Despite being outside the level of conscious awareness, these subtle snubs are characterized by an insulting hidden message. One example of this might be when a person frantically rushes to help a person with a disability onto public transportation. The underlying message is that disabled people are in constant need of help and dependent on others.
True/False
Question: The term racial microaggression was first coined by Derald Wing Sue to refer to daily put-downs that Asian Americans face.
false
The term racial microaggression was first coined by Chester Pierce to describe daily experiences of African Americans.
Which of the following is NOT a question that would help in understanding the effects of microaggressions?
a. How can people who commit microaggressions be so unaware of their actions?
b. What types of psychological impact do they have on marginalized groups?
c. Why do oppressed groups overreact to unintentional insults that denigrate their way of being?
d. What lessons can we learn from a better understanding of the psychological dynamics of microaggressions?
c
Which of the following statements is NOT true about racism?
a. White supremacy and hate crimes are associated with blatant and overt acts of discrimination.
b. Old-fashioned racism has seemingly declined.
c. The nature and expression of racism has evolved into a more subtle and ambiguous form.
d. Racism was eliminated with the social acceptance and legal codification of the goals and values of the civil rights movement.
d
