It is impossible to imagine the development of modern society without the impact of various negative factors, from political to socio-cultural and psychological. Recently the impact of the latter factors became more actively discussed in society, which provoked the appearance of many different studies on the subject and the search for ways to reduce their impact. While the issue of aggression in today’s society is always on everyone’s lips and being discussed, there is less discussion to write my essay about the impact of microaggressions on each of us.
How much do you know about microaggression?
Despite the fact that this phenomenon has become quite common in today’s society, most people are unable to explain what it really means. The term is used to refer to behavior that has a clear aversion against specific people or an entire group. All of us can feel microaggression, and we are not always aware that we feel dislike towards specific people. Typically, microaggressions are triggered by a particular characteristic, such as gender, race, sexuality, nationality, or any other characteristic. Under the influence of these attributes, a person may do some unconscious actions that actually have a clear aggressive orientation against other people. In this case, it may seem to you that you have not done anything wrong, but the person overreacted to your behavior and practically made a big deal out of this.
Features of the manifestation of microaggression in modern society
Even though microaggression occurs as an unconscious reaction to other people based on a particular characteristic, this does not make it any less dangerous to society. Nor does it explain its existence and subconscious tolerance. These days, microaggression has several forms of its manifestation:
- As behavior outwardly disguised as socially acceptable to most members of modern society;
- As a whole series of actions that do not fall under the definition of aggressive, but are aimed at humiliation or other offensive actions against other people;
- The formation of a general prejudice against other social groups that differ from the generally accepted notion of traditional.
In our time, when society and the conditions of its development change almost every day, microaggression is an absolutely unacceptable form of expression. Not only does its existence cause the development of other forms of aggressive behavior, but it also has a destructive effect on everyone’s daily life. Its main danger is its hidden nature: as long as a person is not aware that his behavior is reprehensible toward others, he cannot change it and eradicate it. Moreover, microaggression is the perfect breeding ground for sociocultural prejudice, which makes it impossible to build a socially responsible society.
Although microaggressions are often hidden, some people deliberately use them to justify their behavior. This already turns it into an open form of expression of their prejudices, which have a destructive effect on society as a whole. such a situation does not contribute to their elimination, but on the contrary – makes them more stable and even to some extent contributes to their persistence. Therefore, each of us should make every effort to eliminate the manifestations of microaggressions in our daily lives.
