- Explanation of microaggressions and how to prevent them from occurring in a
professional psychological practice - An example of how personal biases against the western culture and worldviews of the
western culture are falsely portrayed as terrorist might conflict with your professional
practice and potentially lead you to commit microaggressions. - Explain how these biases and worldviews might present an ethical challenge to your
professional practice based on APA guidelines.(cite proper APA guidelines)
Use only the provided references
Corrigan, P. (2004). How stigma interferes with mental health care. American Psychologist,
59(7), 614-625.
Fowers, B. J., & Davidov, B. J. (2006). The virtue of multiculturalism: Personal
transformation, character, and openness to the other. American Psychologist, 61(6), 581-
594.
Nezu, A. M. (2010). Cultural influences on the process of conducting psychotherapy:
Personal reflections of an ethnic minority psychologist. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research,
Practice, Training, 47(2), 169-176.
Pentice, D. A., & Miller, D. T. (2002). The emergence of homegrown stereotypes. American
Psychologist, 57(5), 352-359.
Sue, D. W., Capodilupo, C. M., Torino, G. C., Bucceri, J. M., Holder, A. B., Nadal, K. L., &
Esquilin, M. (2007). Racial microaggressions in everyday life: Implications for clinical
practice. American Psychologist, 62(4), 271-286.
Vargas, H. L., & Wilson, C. M. (2012). Managing worldview influences: Self-awareness and
self-supervision in a cross-cultural therapeutic relationship. Journal of Family and
Psychotherapy, 22(2), 97-103
Microaggressions
According to Sue et al. (2007), microaggressions refers to common or daily verbal,
environmental or behavioral indignities that can be either intentional or unintentional that
communicate derogatory, hostile or negative racial insults towards people of different race or
culture or gender. These words or behaviors demean minorities on various grounds such as
gender, ability and sexual orientation. Perpetrators of these microaggressions are sometimes not
aware that they are engaging in such interactions when interacting with minorities. These
microaggressions can be prevented from occurring in a professional psychological practice by
MICROAGGRESSIONS 2
remaining sensitive in the way an individual communicates and behaves in a group. For
instance, when people meet people from other cultures or races, they must be sensitive to ensure
that they do not behave in a manner that look hostile to others (Sue et al. 2007). This can be a
challenge to many people, but they need to internalize this and to weigh their words and actions
when amidst or in a group.
Personal biases of an individual about other people’s cultures may lead an individual to
commit microaggressions. An example of how the western culture and world views of the
western cultures are falsely portrayed as a terrorist oriented might conflict with a person’s
professional practice leading to microaggression on the basis of race or color (Nezu, 2010). The
personal bias may result from the color of the skin, which triggers negative perception in the
mind of an individual. Even though professionally an individual may understand about the
microaggression, because of the experience of the feelings or the impression that many of the
terrorists attacks are perpetrated by them makes an individual to exhibit this microaggressions to
people from the west.
Biases and worldviews may cause ethical challenges to an individual’s professional
practice in different ways. An individual is usually faced with a challenge in making appropriate
choices or decisions leading to some compromises and mistakes. Ethics requires that an
individual is able to make appropriate decisions by understanding how to differentiate between
right and wrong. This also depends on the individual perception of what is right and wrong. As a
professional, one is required to make decisions that meet the ethical standards set. Bias and
worldviews may therefore compromise on this especially because of various factors (Vargas &
Wilson, 2012). One of the factors is the experience the individual has gone through. Personal
bias is formed through learning from the environment and therefore, an individual that believes
MICROAGGRESSIONS 3
that a certain race is inferior will have a negative perception about them and therefore, such an
individual is likely to engage in microaggressions when interacting with such an individual
hence compromising on his/her professional practice.
Another way these biases and worldwideviews may present ethical challenges is when
dealing with clients from different cultures. Every individual has his or her own self-supervision,
which may affect the establishment of cordial relationship. Because of these differences in the
cultural and worldviews and socialization of the two people, it then becomes very challenging to
manage ones macroaggressions. For example, because Chinese people have smaller eyes, one
may utter a word to a Chinese in connection with the eye without ill motive but this may
culminate to a conflict. It is also an ethical issue because, it is not appropriate to use terms or
words that are insulting and demeaning. Therefore, it is prudent that professionals and people be
sensitive when interacting with other people to avoid microaggressions and ethical problems.
This problem is manageable if every person appreciates each other’s culture and beliefs.
References
Nezu, A. M. (2010). Cultural influences on the process of conducting psychotherapy: Personal
reflections of an ethnic minority psychologist, Psychotherapy: Theory, Research,
Practice, Training, 47(2), 169–176.
Sue, D. W., Capodilupo, C. M., Torino, G. C., Bucceri, J. M., Holder, A. B., Nadal, K. L., &
Esquilin, M. (2007). Racial microaggressions in everyday life: Implications for clinical
practice, American Psychologist, 62(4), 271–286.
MICROAGGRESSIONS 4
Vargas, H. L., & Wilson, C. M. (2012). Managing worldview influences: Self-awareness and
self-supervision in a cross-cultural therapeutic relationship, Journal of Family and
Psychotherapy, 22(2), 97–103