Abstract
[This is an excerpt.] The term “microaggression” was coined by psychiatrist Chester Pierce, MD, in 1970 and was further developed and popularized by psychologist Derald Sue, PhD, in 2007. Microaggressions are “brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages to certain individuals because of their group membership.” There are three types of microaggressions: microassaults, microinsults, and microinvalidations. Microassaults are conscious and deliberate actions or slurs against marginalized groups and most closely resemble blatant discrimination. For example, a senior resident might ask an intern: “Why can't you people ever listen?” In contrast, microinsults and microinvalidations are subtle and thought to be unconscious. Microinsults are verbal and nonverbal communications characterized as being insensitive, rude, and demeaning to a person's identity. A microinsult might include: “Are you a real doctor? You look like a child!” Microinvalidations are communications that exclude, negate, and/or nullify a person's experience as a person of color. One example might be to promote “All Lives Matter” (during the ”Black Lives Matter” movement). Though race/ethnicity is often considered the target of microaggressions, they can also be aimed at a person's gender, sexual orientation, religion, or other marginalized status. All microaggressions are particularly harmful in medicine and can interfere with patient care and the professional interactions and development of resident physicians. [To read more, click View Resource.]
