Qualitative Psychology, Vol 10(2), Jun 2023, 208-226; doi:10.1037/qup0000246
This study examined personal experiences of coming to understand and heal from racial/ethnic microaggressions (often unintentional yet harmful communications that demean, stereotype, or discriminate against Black and Indigenous people of color [BIPOC]), with a focus group of 14 college-educated BIPOC, ages 19–31. This study utilized Sue et al.’s (2007) racial microaggression taxonomy. Considering psychoeducational prompts, participants named microaggressions they had encountered, explored defining and interpreting underlying myths, and considered the meaning and means by which they engaged in healing. Generic qualitative inquiry and theoretical data analysis methods were used to analyze videorecorded data from a theoretically aligned framework of critical consciousness pedagogy, constructivist, and indigenous research paradigms. Two sets of themes emerged. First, psychoeducational explorations to understand microaggression experiences yielded four major themes (and 10 subthemes): responses to perceptions of the taxonomy (validation, elicited nuances); impacts of sharing (reassessing experience, dismantling underlying myths and messages, noting consequences as lessons); impact of focus group exploration (group validation, group contributions); and critical consciousness reflections ( awareness of systems of oppression, surfaced internalizations, generational lens for action). Second, healing responses yielded two major themes (and eight subthemes): motivation for social justice critical action to address microaggressions (social justice advocacy, generational advocacy) and intentional release of and from microaggressions (challenging & confronting, music, venting, social media, revenge in proving wrong, indulging in shared cultural connections). These findings have clinical, theoretical, and methodological implications for processing microaggressions in the lives of BIPOC in a psychoeducational focus group exploring and facilitating healing. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)