Microaggression is a form of passive aggression after which a person feels guilty. Microaggression can be such a non-obvious behavior that sometimes people do not even notice its toxic effects (Lui & Quezada, 2019). However, this kind of behavior can cause serious harm to the psyche. I have also detected harmful consequences for people who are not directly exposed to microaggression but are observers. For example, if a child has experienced this type of aggression in the family, it will impact the child’s psyche. The kid may isolate himself from society in the future or adopt this pattern of behavior. The child will perform such actions to protect themselves from potential dangers.
It is noteworthy that microaggression not only evokes feelings of unjustified guilt but also provokes the appearance of autoaggression. Therefore, I have noticed that the observer may start to feel angry at themselves because when confronted with such statements, people search for problems in themselves. It is essential to mention that microaggressions have a negative impact on the development of health problems (Lui & Quezada, 2019). I have observed a black woman who was the victim of aggression and immediately lost her coordination, indicative of stress. Consequently, she would suffer from poor sleep quality, heart problems, or mental health problems. Similarly, my friend developed a desire to consume alcohol and smoke cigarettes after she tried to build a romantic relationship with the microaggressor. Microaggression is a factor that stimulates the development of discrimination in society. This is because the victim of this type of aggression attempts to replicate this behavior in order to protect his own interests. Thus, such toxic behavior destroys the psyche, undermines self-confidence, lowers self-esteem, and generally qualitatively impairs a person’s life.
Reference
Lui, P. P., & Quezada, L. (2019). Associations between microaggression and adjustment outcomes: A meta-analytic and narrative review. Psychological bulletin, 145(1), 45-78.