The Measurement and Structure of Microaggressive Communications by White People Against Black People

Kanter, Jonathan W.; Williams, Monnica T.; Kuczynski, Adam M.; Corey, Mariah D.; Parigoris, Ryan M.; Carey, Cathea M.; Manbeck, Katherine E.; Wallace, Elliot C.; Rosen, Daniel

doi:10.1007/s12552-020-09298-w

Cited by 17 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…The ARMS comprises four categories: Victim Blaming (criticizing minorities for social problems and pathologizing on the basis of stereotypes), Color Evasion (denying the importance of race and focusing on shared humanity), Power Evasion (assertions that racism and White privilege are not problems), and Exoticizing (sexualized and objectified notions about different minority groups). Kanter et al (2020) developed a similar scale called the Cultural Cognitions and Attitudes Scale (CCAS) on the basis of a person's self-reported likelihood of engaging in microaggressions within several specific contexts. An exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of a large White student sample identified four categories: Colorblindness (focusing on common human experiences and belief in meritocracy), Negative Attitudes (hostile and critical attitudes toward people of color), Objectifying (focusing on the racially specific features of the person of color), and Avoidance (physical distancing and avoidance of difficult conversations about race).…”

Section: Classifications Of Microaggressions and Scalesmentioning

confidence: 99%

After Pierce and Sue: A Revised Racial Microaggressions Taxonomy

Williams

Skinta

Martin‐Willett

2021

Perspect Psychol Sci

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103

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Harvard psychiatrist Chester Pierce’s conception of “subtle and stunning” daily racial offenses, or microaggressions, remains salient even 50 years after it was introduced. Microaggressions were defined further by Sue and colleagues in 2007, and this construct has found growing utility as the deleterious effects of microaggressions on the health of people of color continues to mount. Many studies seek to frame microaggressions in terms of a taxonomic analysis of offender behavior to inform the assessment of and interventions for the reduction of racial microaggressions. This article proposes an expansion and refinement of Sue et al.’s taxonomy to better inform such efforts. We conducted a review of published articles that focused on qualitative and quantitative findings of microaggressions taxonomies ( N = 32). Sixteen categories of racial microaggressions were identified, largely consistent with the original taxonomy of Sue et al. but expanded in several notable ways. Building on our prior research, other researchers supported such new categories as tokenism, connecting via stereotypes, exoticization and eroticization, and avoidance and distancing. The least studied categories included the denial of individual racism from Sue et al., and newer categories included reverse-racism hostility, connecting via stereotypes, and environmental attacks. A unified language of microaggressions may improve understanding and measurement of this important construct.

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Section: Classifications Of Microaggressions and Scalesmentioning

confidence: 99%

After Pierce and Sue: A Revised Racial Microaggressions Taxonomy

Williams

Skinta

Martin‐Willett

2021

Perspect Psychol Sci

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103

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“…This work demonstrated that self-reported likelihood of committing microaggressions across different situational contexts was associated with indicators of racism and color-blind racial attitudes, showing that the likelihood of perpetrating racial microaggressions may be linked to other racial attitudes for dominant group members (Kanter et al, 2017(Kanter et al, , 2020. Kanter et al (2020) also presented initial data indicating that greater self-reported likelihood of commission was correlated with ratings conducted by independent observers with how racist or supportive the participant was in a short interracial interaction, providing behavioral evidence that self-reported likelihood of commission corresponded to observable behavior. Overall, this line of work shows the utility of examining the likelihood of commission related to specific racial microaggressions, which may be a key dimension in relation to perpetrators of racial microaggressions.…”

Section: Likelihood Of Perpetrating Emerging Research Focusedmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…Yet instead of using this critique to dismiss racial microaggression research, we assert that the next step for future research should be to specify key aspects of context and to integrate these aspects into theory and research. Indeed, emerging work has used scenarios (Kanter et al, 2017(Kanter et al, , 2020 or set a specific context such as an interracial interaction (Mekawi & Todd, 2018) or medical provider/ patient interactions (Freeman & Stewart, 2018). Another contextual dimension may be relative power, in which the perpetrator of the racial microaggression holds some degree of power over the target (e.g., the person's boss at work).…”

Section: Mode Of Deliverymentioning

confidence: 99%

Focusing the Lens to See More Clearly: Overcoming Definitional Challenges and Identifying New Directions in Racial Microaggressions Research

Mekawi

Todd

2021

Perspect Psychol Sci

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Despite significant advances in research on racial microaggressions, key challenges remain regarding how to define and classify them. Resolving these challenges is necessary to reduce misunderstanding and the subsequent minimization of racial microaggression research. Our goals in this article are to discuss the definitional challenges, to discuss implications for the creation of taxonomies, and to offer directions for how a revised definition and corresponding taxonomies can be used to further racial microaggression research. Regarding our first aim, we assert that racial microaggressions are observable events that occur independently of intention (i.e., regardless of whether they are intentional or unintentional) or impact (i.e., regardless of how they are perceived by recipients). Moreover, we assert that racial microaggressions are most validly defined by people of color and can have different meanings on the basis of situational context. The second aim is to propose a refinement and expansion of racial microaggression taxonomies. Sue and colleagues’ taxonomy has been invaluable, yet other ways of classifying microaggressions and moving toward dimensional taxonomies are needed to advance scholarship. We highlight key dimensions related to the experience, perpetration, characteristics, and sociopolitical function of racial microaggressions that may be useful for future taxonomies. Overall, overcoming definitional challenges and expanding taxonomies holds potential to advance the literature on racial microaggression.

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“…A recent experimental study demonstrates the difficulties that White Americans have with demonstrating civil courage around issues of racial justice. Kanter, Williams, et al (2020) designed a research study in which a neutral White conversational partner (a confederate instructed to agree with the participant) conversed with other White participants about racially controversial news events. Despite their intentions, participants did not defend out-groups (Williams et al, 2021).…”

Section: Ties That Bind Us: Race and Racial Justicementioning

confidence: 99%

Racial justice allyship requires civil courage: A behavioral prescription for moral growth and change.

Williams¹,

Faber²,

Nepton³

et al. 2023

American Psychologist

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In racialized societies, race divides people, prioritizes some groups over others, and directly impacts opportunities and outcomes in life. These missed opportunities and altered outcomes can be rectified only through the deliberate dismantling of explicit, implicit, and systemic patterns of injustice. Racial problems cannot be corrected merely by the good wishes of individuals-purposeful actions and interventions are required. To create equitable systems, civil courage is vital. Civil courage differs from other forms of courage, as it is directed at social change. People who demonstrate civil courage are aware of the negative consequences and social costs but choose to persist based on a moral imperative. After defining allyship and providing contemporary and historical examples of civil courage, this paper explains the difficulties and impediments inherent in implementing racial justice. To enable growth and change, we introduce ten practical exercises based on cognitive-behavioral approaches to help individuals increase their awareness and ability to demonstrate racial justice allyship in alignment with valued behaviors. We explain how these exercises can be utilized to change thinking patterns, why the exercises can be difficult, and how psychologists and others might make use of them to expand the capacity for civil courage in the service of racial justice. Public Significance StatementRacial justice is an important goal for the well-being of racialized people globally. However, most Americans, psychologists included, find it difficult to align their values and intentions with actions. This paper offers a frank discussion of the issues of shame and discomfort that often surround issues of racial injustice and describes cognitive-behavioral approaches for cultivating civil courage.

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The Measurement and Structure of Microaggressive Communications by White People Against Black People

Cited by 17 publications

References 67 publications

After Pierce and Sue: A Revised Racial Microaggressions Taxonomy

After Pierce and Sue: A Revised Racial Microaggressions Taxonomy

Focusing the Lens to See More Clearly: Overcoming Definitional Challenges and Identifying New Directions in Racial Microaggressions Research

Racial justice allyship requires civil courage: A behavioral prescription for moral growth and change.

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