Why Denial
is not a river in Egypt, Ignoring and Microaggressions
Helen Bright
Denial or abnegation is a psychological defence mechanism proposed by Anna Freud[1], a psychoanalyst, working with private white clients in 1930’s in Vienna, Austria.
It is refusal to accept reality. Person
We all experience such difficulties, and the unconscious
process of denial was said to protect from decrease in self-esteem. It protects
Ego.
After interrogation by Gestapo the Freuds emigrated to London.
Clearly, not in denial about the Nazis controlling the state they fled from.
Like the rest of immigrant population, it is unlikely that
it was the last time they experienced discrimination in any form. However,
there were no interrogations or persecution by the new state where they had to
make their home.
Today, one of the convenient ways of classifying
racial/ethnic discrimination is to describe it by the form of expression: overt
and covert. One can experience both.
Microaggressions are covert forms and common everyday
occurrences. The cumulative effects are damaging to victims of such
discrimination.
They are relevant to both minority and majority groups’
self-awareness. Indeed, some may argue it is important that majority of the
community members understand it because of their increased persuasiveness (2)
in eliminating it.
Minority groups who are not in denial about racism are
healthier (3). Those who deny racism are more likely to have more instances of
anxiety and depression.
Professor Alvin Alvarez discovered that the most common form
of discrimination is ignoring discriminated person (3). It can have devastating
effects even if it does not look so harmless at first.
In covert racism both the victim and perpetrator may be
unaware of microaggressions.
Microaggressions may even look like compliments. Black Professor of Psychiatry Chester M. Pierce invented the
term microaggression to denote behavioural patterns with marginalized groups.
Since 1970’s the concept has been expanded and further categorised into:
Microassaults (examples: slurs, racial epithets, displays of
Nazi paraphernalia, ignoring people of colour/wearing ethnic dress)
Microinsults can be verbal and non-verbal, e.g., questioning
a colleague how they got a job with a sense of incredulity.
In Microinvalidations there is subtle exclusion,
negation or nullification of the thoughts, feelings, or experiential reality of
person of colour. “There is no such thing as racism any longer”, “Oh, it was a
joke”. There may be extra vigilance against people of colour like in following
them in store, so they do not steal, extra supervision at work, back-handed
compliments like: “You speak really good English”, extra security checks). Work
of one person can be ascribed to another e.g. woman’s work to a man, junior researcher’s
to senior, black person’s to white (and even other way round).
The sense of not belonging, having to work extra hard just
to survive, being expected to serve (including any sexual need), leads to
exhaustion and ill health in marginalized people.
There are various measures that can be used to deal with
covert racism, and many would recognize what they have done already, and many may
learn new methods.
One can impact society in various ways. Professor Chester
Pierce acted as a Consultant Psychiatrist for TV children’s series Sesame
Street. We learn in different ways to become who we are. Professor Chester
Pierce recognised the opportunity to start children’s education early.
His innovative research work brought honour to Harvard
University who proudly hanged his portrait.
The research on humans in extreme conditions led to one of
the mountains in Antarctica to be called Pierce Peak after
him.
References:
2. Czopp, A. M. (2017). Covert racism: Its unintended,
well intended, and rationalized forms. In A. M. Czopp & A.W. Blume (Eds),
Social issues in living colour: Challenges and solutions from the perspective
of ethnic minority psychology; Societal and global issues 9p. 53-76).
Praeger/ABC-CLIO
3. Alvarez, A. N. Helms J. E. (2001). Racial identity and
reflected appraisals as influences on Asian Americans’ racial adjustments. Cultur
Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol 7(3) 217-231
4. Racism-“It isn’t fair” (2009) Asian American
Psychology: Current Perspectives (pp.399-419) Edition 1 Psychology Press Editors: Nita Tewari, Alvin N. Alvarez
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233912256_Racism_-_It_isn't_fair
Copyright: Helen Bright
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