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Abstract
In 1973 I took a job at MIT,working for the then new President and Chancellor. I was charged, among other things, with learning how the workplace could improve with respect to people who were underrepresented at MIT-as examples, men and women of color and white women, and people with disabilities. MAJOR ISSUES Asan economist I had expected to learn about big issuesstanding in the way of progress for "non traditional" people. Working together with others, I did find some. For example we looked at the pension plan, a plan that paid benefits unequally for men and women with the same record of service. (Senior officers at MIT changed the plan in a way that ben efited both women and men). I helped a working group to design Serious Search recruitment proce dures, procedures that turned out to help people of color-and, of course, also Caucasians. We looked at supports for dependent care that were needed by women-which of course illuminated the fact that men also needed support for dependent care.We helped with campus maps, and ramps, and lifts for those who needed them, and learned of course that they helped everyone. I learned what everyone now knows-that equitable work structures usually help everyone. LITTLE ISSUES In addition I noticed the importance of "little issues:'Little acts of disrespect, and failures in perfor mance feedback, seemed to corrode some profes sional relationships like bits of sand and ice."Little issues"included names mistakenly left off a list, people who were not introduced at meetings, (or mistakenly introduced as someone else of the same race). I learned of inequitable job assignments, failures to provide schedules or food or space that were needed by a particular group, invitations that were uncomfort able for gays,or women, or non-Christians ("Please feel free to bring your wife;""There will be a belly dancer at the party;""Please join us to celebrate Christmas").There were ugly cartoons that attacked certain groups, and jokes that made fun of different cultures or of disabilities. Sometimes I would hear a presumption that someone of a certain gender or race or religion could do some task better-which then often led to selective perceptions favoring an already favored group.
... The potent power of micro-aggressions to do harm is evident. Micro-aggressions have deleterious effects on one's ability to thrive in an environment (Ross, 2011;Rowe, 2008;Scully & Rowe, 2009). Micro-aggressions in the academy are most often described as directed toward underrepresented students and students from under-resourced backgrounds (Sue et al., 2007). ...
... This article suggests that just as micro-aggressions exist, micro-affirmations exist, and conceivably, they carry equal potency to do good rather than harm. Rowe (2008) defined micro-affirmations as small acts in the workplace fostering inclusion, listening, comfort, and support for people who may feel unwelcome or invisible in an environment. Within the context of higher education, micro-affirmations can communicate to students that they are welcome, visible, and capable of performing well in the college environment. ...
... Before adopting potential action steps and advising practices, it is important for advisers to appreciate the difference between micro-affirmations and acts of kindness or empathy. Microaffirmations explicitly recognize and validate individuals in ways that empower them to thrive in an environment where they may feel marginalized, hopeless, or lost (Rowe, 2008). General kindness or empathy does not necessarily appreciate the social context, relationships, and individual characteristics such as social capital, ethnicity, accessibility, and sense of belonging that influence individual perspectives, behaviors, and choices in an environment. ...
Rowe (2008) defined micro-affirmations as small acts in the workplace fostering inclusion, listening, comfort, and support for people who may feel unwelcome or invisible in an environment. Within the context of higher education, micro-affirmations can communicate to students that they are welcome, visible, and capable of performing well in the college environment. Micro-affirmations have the potential to fuel optimal student development and thriving in college. Academic advising offers an opportunity to apply micro-affirmations to the college context and to student, faculty, and staff dynamics. This article expands upon Rowe's ideas to suggest that micro-affirmations can become frequent, intentional practice within academic advising to positively impact student engagement and, ultimately, enhance retention and graduation outcomes. This article will also suggest ways to communicate and apply micro-affirmations in academic advising.
... Existing literature on microaffirmations includes articles reporting results from empirical studies as well as conceptual and practice-oriented articles. Drawing on her experiences as an Ombudsperson at a U.S. university, Rowe (2008) introduced the concept of microaffirmations 6 to explain how supervisors effectively mentor and support the success of underrepresented group members. She defines micro-affirmations as 'apparently small acts, which are often ephemeral and hard-to-see, events that are public and private, often unconscious but very effective, which occur wherever people wish to help others succeed. ...
... Some scholars study these benefits empirically while others simply speculate about the potential positive outcomes of microaffirmations. Rowe (2008) suggests that focusing on microaffirmations can help individuals modify their unconscious biases and that microaffirmations can compensate for damage caused by unfair acts. Rowe (2008) also asserts that leadership should model affirming behaviors; these behaviors have the potential to spread from one person to the next and improve the climate of institutions. ...
... Rowe (2008) suggests that focusing on microaffirmations can help individuals modify their unconscious biases and that microaffirmations can compensate for damage caused by unfair acts. Rowe (2008) also asserts that leadership should model affirming behaviors; these behaviors have the potential to spread from one person to the next and improve the climate of institutions. Powell, Demetriou, and Fisher (2013) focus on higher education students and assert that microaffirmations may promote students' sense of belonging, self-efficacy and resilience. ...
This article theorizes the concept of racial microaffirmations and illustrates different microaffirmation types. We report findings from a study that employed narrative interviews to solicit stories from racially minoritized students at a predominantly white university. Participants included 16 graduate students and 18 undergraduate students who identified as African-American, Latinx or mixed race. Students shared microaffirmations that they experienced related to their racial identities. We developed a typology of four microaffirmation types from the students’ stories: microrecognitions, microvalidations, microtransformations and microprotections. Drawing on the students’ stories, we further define each microaffirmation type and root the typology in the foundational elements of Critical Race/LatCrit theoretical framework. This study offers concrete examples of experiences university students found affirming that are helpful to practitioners seeking to better understand what racial microaffirmations are and ways they may be promoted. This work also expands the literature on microaffirmations and points to areas that need further research.
... Findings identified for social workers of color in this sample offer one more demonstration of how occupational hazards are exacerbated by workers' race/ ethnicity. Structural racism and its impact on the health workforce (Dent et al., 2021) as well as workplacebased microaggressions and microinvalidations (Nadal et al., 2017;Rowe, 2008) perpetuate these negative outcomes. ...
... Occupational segregation by race and gender may persist in organizations and contribute to current disparities. Tolerance for microinequities-including microaggressions and microinvalidations-may lead to stressful working conditions for social workers of color (Rowe, 2008). Further research and attention to the needs of social workers of color in healthcare settings are needed to clarify these findings, and to support interventions to change these patterns. ...
Social work is an essential workforce integral to the United States’ public health infrastructure and response to COVID-19. To understand stressors among frontline social workers during COVID-19, a cross-sectional study of U.S-based social workers (N = 1,407) in health settings was collected (in June through August 2020). Differences in outcome domains (health, mental health, personal protective equipment [PPE] access, financial stress) were examined by workers’ demographics and setting. Ordinal logistic, multinomial, and linear regressions were conducted. Participants reported moderate or severe physical (57.3 percent) and mental (58.3 percent) health concerns; 39.3 percent expressed PPE access concerns. Social workers of color were more likely to report significantly higher levels of concern across all domains. Those identifying as Black, American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN), Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI), multiracial, or Hispanic/Latinx were over 50 percent more likely to experience either moderate or severe physical health concerns, 60 percent more likely to report severe mental health concerns, and over 30 percent more likely to report moderate PPE access concerns. The linear regression model was significantly associated with higher levels of financial stress for social workers of color. COVID-19 has exposed racial and social injustices that that hold true for social workers in health settings. Improved social systems are critical not just for those impacted by COVID-19, but also for the protection and sustainability of the current and future workforce responding to COVID-19.
... In many cases, communication reduces gaps and stereotype threats amongst underrepresented student identities (Powell et al., 2013;Seidel et al., 2015). For example, intentionally using microaffirmations-subtle emotionally supportive messages that imply admiration or respect-has great potential for promoting inclusion, building rapport, and improving students' academic environment and well-being (Powell et al., 2013;Rowe, 2008;Seidel et al., 2015). In management and organizational literature, microaffirmations are small behaviors that promote a welcoming and inclusive work environment, especially for people who feel excluded and invisible (Rowe, 2008). ...
... For example, intentionally using microaffirmations-subtle emotionally supportive messages that imply admiration or respect-has great potential for promoting inclusion, building rapport, and improving students' academic environment and well-being (Powell et al., 2013;Rowe, 2008;Seidel et al., 2015). In management and organizational literature, microaffirmations are small behaviors that promote a welcoming and inclusive work environment, especially for people who feel excluded and invisible (Rowe, 2008). Similarly, when used in NACADA Journal Volume 42 (2) academic settings by advisors, microaffirmations can help students accept constructive feedback and feel seen and welcomed, potentially resulting in better academic performance (Powell et al., 2013). ...
Across two experimental university studies, we examined how small changes in language embedded in advising communications influence student outcomes (e.g., support, persistence) and explored the utility of advising micromessages congruent with growth mindset and appreciative advising for diverse student populations. We found that micromessages embedded within hypothetical advisor emails increased anticipated positive student outcomes, including feelings of support and persistence. In line with our hypotheses and attribution-based intervention research with nontraditional and/or marginalized students, the positive effect of micromessaging appears greater for first-generation students and students of color. This research highlights opportunities to shape consequential student outcomes through small, strategic language changes. Empowering advisors with thoughtfully crafted language improves students' sense of support and persistence and may reduce achievement gaps.
... On the other hand, small affirming interactions can have a positive impact. Originally developed by Rowe (2008) when studying minority groups in the workplace, microaffirmations-as opposed to microaggressions-are a relatively new area of research. Microaffirmations are subtle interpersonal acts of support or validation that are often enacted unconsciously (Rowe, 2008). ...
... Originally developed by Rowe (2008) when studying minority groups in the workplace, microaffirmations-as opposed to microaggressions-are a relatively new area of research. Microaffirmations are subtle interpersonal acts of support or validation that are often enacted unconsciously (Rowe, 2008). In therapy, micraoffirmations can look like offering support or asking sincere questions about bisexuality. ...
Bisexual individuals experience mental illness at higher rates than monosexual individuals. In addition, previous research has found that bisexual persons face documented discrimination from mental health providers. However, research is lacking in examining how negative experiences with providers impact attitudes toward mental health care utilization among bisexual clients. This study explores the associations between bisexual individuals’ level of outness with providers, experiences of provider biphobia, experiences of microaffirmations from providers, and help-seeking attitudes. We hypothesized that: (a) Anti-bisexual experiences from a mental health provider would mediate the relationship between outness and help-seeking intentions, and (b) Microaffirmations from a provider would mediate the relationship between outness and help-seeking intentions. Results indicated that greater outness with mental health providers predicted greater microaffirmation experiences from mental health providers. As expected, anti-bisexual experiences significantly and negatively impacted intent to seek mental health treatment. There was not evidence of mediation.
... It could be that this more 'equal' social context reflected a more normal and acceptable self. Some research in marginalized groups such as transgender people considers therapists' use of micro-affirmations (Anzani et al., 2019), which are acts demonstrating viewing someone in a positive, inclusive manner and considered the opposite of micro-aggressions, which are interactions underpinned by judgement or marginalizing attitudes (Rowe, 2008). A hypothesis based on participants' accounts is that this in itself may be a therapeutic tool and address self-stigma or shame; this warrants further exploration. ...
... It is suggested that the therapeutic relationship in CBTp and therapeutic strategies such as psychoeducation, normalization and therapist use of self may offer mechanisms for addressing self-stigma. This could usefully be considered through a micro-affirmation framework (Rowe, 2008). ...
Background: Client disclosure of emotionally salient information to a therapist may be an important factor in the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Psychosis (CBTp). The present study explores how people engaging with CBTp make sense of sharing emotionally salient information with a therapist and considers how mental health stigma may influence how participants decide whether to share information.
Methods: Eight participants were recruited for semi-structured interviews lasting 30–75 minutes. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was used.
Results: Two main themes were identified. I am responsible for controlling the negative impact of disclosure refers to participants’ awareness that sharing distressing experiences may have negative consequences. Participants worried about being judged, such as being seen as abnormal or having the potential to harm others. They also worried about feeling shamed or distressed. Non-disclosure may be a way of avoiding these fears. The second theme, Therapy makes me feel normal, describes how participants viewed themselves more positively from their therapist validating and understanding their experiences.
Conclusions: Internalized stigma-based beliefs may influence self-disclosure, and the therapeutic relationship may provide alternative, positive beliefs about the self as normal. Further research can explore beliefs about self-disclosure and consider micro-affirmations as a therapeutic process.
... In addition to experiences of time pressure, we were interested in small daily experiences of micro-affirmations and micro-aggressions. Microaffirmations, or small acts of support, recognition, or inclusion occur when people wish to help others succeed and can positively impact individuals' experiences (Cohen, Garcia, Apfel, & Master, 2006;Rowe, 2008). Common micro-affirmations, well documented in the social psychological literature are having your opinions and thoughts matter to colleagues, receiving helpful feedback, receiving recognition for accomplishments, and being made to feel like an insider by virtue of inclusion in professional interactions and networks (Rowe, 2008;Scully & Rowe, 2009). ...
... Microaffirmations, or small acts of support, recognition, or inclusion occur when people wish to help others succeed and can positively impact individuals' experiences (Cohen, Garcia, Apfel, & Master, 2006;Rowe, 2008). Common micro-affirmations, well documented in the social psychological literature are having your opinions and thoughts matter to colleagues, receiving helpful feedback, receiving recognition for accomplishments, and being made to feel like an insider by virtue of inclusion in professional interactions and networks (Rowe, 2008;Scully & Rowe, 2009). ...
In this exploratory, descriptive study, we used time diaries to understand the content and quality of faculty work experiences and interactions (specifically looking at work activities, feelings of stress and being rushed, micro-aggressions and micro-affirmations) and differences in work experiences by gender and race. We found that while all faculty work long hours, women and underrepresented minority (URM) faculty face unique challenges in their work day Journal of the Professoriate (11)1 106 including spending less time on research (women) and more time on mentoring and advising (URM faculty), experiencing higher levels of time pressure (women), and encountering more micro-aggressions and less micro-affirmations (women and URM faculty).
... In a mental health perspectiveunderstanding, acknowledging, doing, something that is going beyond what is normally expected from carers and healthcare professionals are often called 'small', 'little' or 'trivial' things and have been analysed as 'micro-affirmations' (Rowe, 2008;Topor et al., 2018). Micro-affirmations are characterised by their 'everydayness' and spontaneous character (Skatvedt, 2017). ...
This is an essay based on a story with observations, about present and sparkling moments from everyday life coexisting with a mother living with dementia. The story is used to begin philosophical underpinnings reflecting on 'how it could be otherwise'. Dementia deploys brutal existential experiences such as cognitive deterioration, decline in mental functioning and often hurtful social judgements. The person living with dementia goes through transformation and changes of self. Cognitive decline progressively disrupts the foundations upon which social connectedness is built, often creating a profound sense of insecurity. The challenge for carers and healthcare professionals is therefore to find ways of clarifying a concept of agency. It will be worthwhile developing the ability of attuning into 'what is there' arising from every corner of the care situation. Understanding and practicing this can strengthen existence and the experience of connectedness and meaning, empowering the person with dementia. It is important to find ways, relational moves, in which carers and healthcare professionals can embed the creativity appearing in mundane everyday situations filled with surplus of meaning, sharing mental landscapes (and embodied relational understanding) with the person living with dementia - seizing and sharing aesthetic moments (verbal and nonverbal) being present together. We argue that carers and healthcare professionals may find this understanding of care useful. This implies looking into a phenomenological-hermeneutic perspective developing competences as well as practical wisdom understanding and being aware of the creative and innovative possibilities (often preverbal and unnoticed small things) in everyday life of what we, inspired by psychoanalyst Daniel Stern, call sparkling moments of meeting, creating experience with the other that is personally undergone and lived through in the present.
... The transcripts and framegrabs from this extended sequence show Manolo engaging in a series of practices known as micro-affirmations, which are defined by Rowe (2008) as "small acts which are often ephemeral and hard-to-see … which occur wherever people wish to help others to succeed. Micro-affirmations are tiny acts of opening doors to opportunity, gestures of inclusion and caring, and graceful acts of listening. ...
In this paper, I examine how liminal spatio-temporal contexts both afford and constrain how immigrant children navigate their social lives in educational settings. Liminal schooling contexts have largely been unexamined in micro-ethnographic approaches to schooling, despite the potential of these contexts for illuminating the educational lives of youth. Shifting the ethnographic lens to the interactions occurring in seemingly liminal schooling contexts (in between ratified activities, in between ratified places, etc.) reveal heightened forms of behavior at the extremes of a continuum ranging from empathy/inclusion to violence/exclusion. On the one hand, liminality can render immigrant youth more vulnerable to racialized bullying, including verbal and physical aggression, since many of the institutional protections that apply in ratified schooling contexts are in abeyance. On the other hand, liminal contexts also allow for displays of support and empathy that can lead to the development of cross-ethnic peer friendships, which can happen when social-ethnic boundaries and hierarchies that are reproduced in more central contexts are relaxed. This paper builds on a linguistic ethnography documenting the social lives of Moroccan immigrant children in a Southwestern Spanish town. Using videoanalysis and ethnographic methods in discourse analysis, I focus on videotaped interactions between immigrant students and their Spanish counterparts taking place in the interstices of school life – when students are walking between buildings, in the fringes/corners of the schoolyard, in between classes … etc. The long-term ethnography allows me to examine the interactions occurring in these liminal contexts in relation to institutional culture and to the relational history between children. This paper calls for examining youth’s schooling experiences more holistically. What happens in liminal contexts is crucial to achieving educational equity in the 21st century: it can, for example, undermine progressive curricular efforts and can have positive/negative implications for immigrant youth’s enduring feelings of belonging and educational enfranchisement.
... 1. Backfire: negative diversity goal progress, e.g., women becoming less likely to be given leadership opportunities due to targets being perceived as needing help due to inferior capability as a result of support given 2. Negative spill-over: undesirable effects on outcomes other than diversity goal progress, e.g., evoking backlash in the form of negative reactions among non-target populations due to perceived unfairness and/or preferential treatment 3. Positive spill-over: desirable effects on outcomes other than diversity goal progress, e.g., favourable reactions among non-target populations 4. False progress: improved diversity metrics without true change in targets' experiences and outcomes. Applied to gender representation targets, for example, it can be seen how although targets may increase female representation, if women are appointed to perform in environments where discrimination, stereotypes and other biases still prevail, this may reflect false progress, because whilst the environment may appear more diverse on the surface, women's' performance is likely to be impeded in this context as a result of explicit or implicit discrimination, microinequities (Rowe, 2008), or stereotype threat (see Steele and Aronson, 1995;Casad and Merritt, 2014;Von Hippel et al., 2015). As a result, biases and stereotypes of women as inferior are likely to be reinforced, resulting in backfire. ...
... Though widely accepted as pejorative, microaggressions remain distinct in their relation to more overt, deliberate acts of bigotry, such as the use of racial epithets. That is, those who micro-aggress often lack ill-intent and, thusly, are unaware of the harm they are inflicting Campbell & Manning, 2014;Dovidio, Gaetner, Kawkami, & Hodson, 2002;Flagg, 1993;Lau & Williams, 2010;Paludi et al., 2010;Rowe, 2008;Sue et al., 2009;Sue, 2010;Wells, 2013;Yosso et al., 2009). These acts, according to Sue and colleagues (2009), tend to affirm or reaffirm stereotypes about the marginalized group or demean them in an understated, subtle manner. ...
Microaggressions are brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative slights and insults toward people who are not classified within the “normative” standard. Perpetrators of microaggressions are often unaware that they engage in such communications when they interact with people who differ from themselves. This review of microaggressions in its numerous forms seeks to address the current literature regarding aversive behavior and its impacts; this includes investigating the manifestation and influence of everyday “isms,” on the quality of life of those on the receiving end of these acts. Ensuing suggestions regarding institutional-level education, training, and research—particularly in the higher educational realm—in the work towards reducing microaggression-inducing behaviors are discussed.
... Though widely accepted as pejorative, microaggressions remain distinct in their relation to more overt, deliberate acts of bigotry, such as the use of racial epithets. That is, those who micro-aggress often lack ill-intent and, thusly, are unaware of the harm they are inflicting Campbell & Manning, 2014;Dovidio, Gaetner, Kawkami, & Hodson, 2002;Flagg, 1993;Lau & Williams, 2010;Paludi et al., 2010;Rowe, 2008;Sue et al., 2009;Sue, 2010;Wells, 2013;Yosso et al., 2009). These acts, according to Sue and colleagues (2009), tend to affirm or reaffirm stereotypes about the marginalized group or demean them in an understated, subtle manner. ...
Microaggressions are brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative slights and insults toward people who are not classified within the “normative” standard. Perpetrators of microaggressions are often unaware that they engage in such communications when they interact with people who differ from themselves. This review of microaggressions in its numerous forms seeks to address the current literature regarding aversive behavior and its impacts; this includes investigating the manifestation and influence of everyday “isms,” on the quality of life of those on the receiving end of these acts. Ensuing suggestions regarding institutional-level education, training, and research—particularly in the higher educational realm—in the work towards reducing microaggression-inducing behaviors are discussed.
... One way of doing so is through microaffirmations. These are small acts that foster inclusion, comfort, and support for individuals who may feel isolated or invisible in an environment (Rowe, 2008). When directed towards REM individuals, microaffirmations provide counter-stories that affirm their lived experiences when they (French et al., 2020;Yosso et al., 2009). ...
... While faculty and staff were not primary sources of negativity, neither were they sources of positive support. As students considered where in the campus community they received microaffirmations, those small relational acts that communicate empathy, security, and support, either intentionally or unintentionally (Rowe, 2008 ), it was most noticeable among their peers. Life among fellow students appeared to be a mixed experience, probably making their relational context more complicated to negotiate. ...
This study was an initial investigation of important areas of interest in the literature on transgender and gender diverse students: psychological health and well-being and campus climate for transgender and gender diverse students in young adulthood. What is unique is that data were obtained from Christian transgender and gender diverse students attending Christian college and universities. A sample of 31 undergraduate transgender students at nine Christian institutions in which staff were affiliated with the Association for Christians in Student Development completed an online survey. Participants reported high levels of religiosity, diversity in their attitudes about gender identity, negative perceptions of campus climate, lower levels of social support for gender identity than in general, moderate to high levels of psychological distress, and low to moderate levels of psychological well-being.
... Moreover, Simmons (2019) argues that students of color may need to develop a range of skills related to agency and leadership that support their ability to confront injustice, hate and inequity. This suggests that school-based strategies that address students of color unique experiences in ways that affirm, rather than evade their identities and experiences are critically to promoting racial and ethnic equity and justice in schools (Rolón-Dow & Davison, 2020;Rowe, 2008;Topor et al., 2018). ...
Although racial and ethnic equity-informed school-based strategies are important to addressing racialized structures and processes that create and sustain racial trauma, disadvantage and disparity, little is known about the process of embedding racial and ethnic equity in school-based strategies and how adults and young people perceive them to promote a positive school climate and youth development. Using a qualitative research approach that included focus groups, this study examined student of color and school and community partner staff perceptions of the role and influence racial and ethnic equity-informed school-based strategies in one middle school have on the school's climate and students of color experiences and development. Findings suggest that racial and ethnic equity-informed social and emotional learning strategies are important in facilitating positive student–teacher interactions and identity and social-emotional development among students of color. Participant's experiences in and perceptions of the impact these strategies have on school climate and youth development substantiate the need to understand racial and ethnic equity as a process-oriented approach that requires continuous improvement, rather than just an outcome-focused endeavor. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
... The microaggression concept also has been studied in relation to the experiences of disabled people and connected to discourses on ableism, disability prejudice, and disablism across academic and other social environments (Dolmage, 2017;Keller & Galgay, 2010;Nario-Redmond, Perlman, & Silverman, 2020). Rowe (2008) coined the term microaffirmations as a way to focus on everyday acts, public or private, that help individuals from underrepresented groups to succeed in higher education contexts. Despite prevalence of microaggressions, students' experiences of microaffirmations may influence their sense of resistance, agency, and belonging on campus. ...
... Beliefs and ideologies that are privileged through systemic and institutionalized forms of bias and oppression, constitute the macroaggressive foundations of everyday microaggressions experienced by students in classrooms (Pérez Huber & Solorzano, 2015). Rowe (2008), thinking through ways to counter racial microaggressions, suggested an approach of micro-affirmations: "apparently small acts, which are often ephemeral and hard-to-see, events that are public and private, often unconscious but very effective, which occur wherever people wish to help others to succeed" (p. 46). ...
... Employers and higher education professionals can mitigate these negative outcomes by creating policies and environments that affirm Black women's identities and experiences. For instance, micro-affirmations, which are culturally based small words, acts, and gestures of inclusion (Rowe 2008), validate various social identities, thus cultivating a stronger sense of belonging (Rolón-Dow and Davison 2020). In doing so, institutional leadership can foster the success of Black women by creating inclusive environments where Black women feel seen, heard, and protected, thereby decreasing the pressure to engage in identity shifting. ...
Black women are uniquely located at the intersection of two marginalized identities which puts them at risk of experiencing a combined discrimination known as gendered racism. Among Black Women, experiencing increased gendered racism is associated with higher poorer mental health which includes higher levels of anxiety and depression. To cope with these experiences of gendered racism, Black women often engage in identity shifting by adjusting one’s behavior and language to conform to environmental norms. Paradoxically, having a strong sense of one’s gendered racial identity has been theorized to potentially protect Black women from the detrimental effects of gendered racism. Two hundred thirty nine young adult U.S. Black women, between the ages of 18 and 35, completed an online survey to examine the role of identity shifting and gendered racial identity centrality on the established link between gendered racism and mental health outcomes, specifically anxiety and depression symptoms. The results indicated that identity shifting did not moderate the associations between gendered racism and anxiety nor depression symptoms. Separate moderation analyses indicated that gendered racial identity centrality moderated the effect of identity shifting on depression but not on anxiety symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of considering identity factors when proposing theories and clinical practices that seek to reduce mental health concerns among young adult U.S. Black women.
... Micro-affirmations are defined by Rowe (2008) as follows: »Apparently small acts, which are often ephemeral, hard-to-see, events that are public and private, often unconscious but very effective, which occur wherever people wish to help others to succeed« (Rowe, 2008, 46). ...
In der ambulanten Begleitung von Menschen mit psychischen Erkrankungen ist eine reflektierte und strukturell unterstützte Beziehungsarbeit zentral. Die AutorInnen beleuchten, wie eine hilfreiche professionelle Beziehung in der Arbeit mit psychisch Erkrankten handlungspraktisch und konzeptionell umgesetzt werden kann, und sie zeigen auf, welche organisatorischen Strukturen dabei unterstützen.
Betreuungsdynamik und Entwicklung von als hilfreich erlebten Beziehungen werden sowohl aus der Perspektive der KlientInnen als auch aus der Perspektive der MitarbeiterInnen in den Blick genommen. Hierauf basierend entwerfen die AutorInnen ein an der Praxis orientiertes theoretisches Modell der sensiblen Gestaltung gelingender und hilfreicher Beziehungen.
Mit Beiträgen von Michaela Amering, Petra Derler, Christine Eggenhofer, Yvonne Kahl, Oliver Koenig, Gertraud Kremsner, Werner Lausecker, Robert Mittermair, Daniel Öhlinger, Stefan Prochazka, Anna Schachner, Maria Schernthaner, Reiner Schwalbe und Alain Topor
... In a time where places of work, education, and leisure are concerned with "micro-aggressions" (Sue, 2010) or "microinequalities," the concept of "micro-affirmations" has emerged to bring equal attention to the myriad of ways we use language subtly to affirm each other. Micro-inequalities are described by Rowe (2008) as small linguistic and behavioral events that are difficult to prove, often covert, and which point toward difference in ways that continuously diminish the individual. Alternatively, micro-affirmations refer to equally small linguistic and behavioral acts that are difficult to prove, often covert, and yet serve to bolster individuals, occurring "wherever people wish to help others to succeed" (Rowe, 2008, p. 46). ...
This epilogue to the Special Issue on Language Challenges in the 21st Century offers commentary on the current state of social scientific inquiry in the field of language and social psychology. Inspired by the seven articles that make up this Special Issue, I became curious about what we would find if we sought language opportunities instead of language challenges in the 21st century. I recommend future scholarship at the intersections of global and linguistic diversity include a positive social science approach in order to consider the full spectrum of challenges and assets. I conclude with a note about the direction of future research related to COVID-19.
... 33 Micro-affirmations, by contrast, are "apparently small acts, which are often ephemeral and hardto-see, events that are public and private, often unconscious but very effective, which occur wherever people wish to help others to succeed." 32 These can be as simple as effective mentoring practices. positive micro-messages that act as catalysts for positive change in individuals and Page 22.740.6 ...
... Developing a "friendship culture" to enhance and increase microaffirmational exchanges for all students may be a significant advance for SMs and their learning and developmental goals (Stratton et al., 2019). Rowe (2008) described microaffirmations as "small acts which are often ephemeral and hard-to-see, events that are public and private, often unconscious but very effective, which occur wherever people wish to help others to succeed. Micro-affirmations are tiny acts of opening doors to opportunity, gestures of inclusion and caring, and graceful acts of listening" (p. ...
Drawing upon previous research with sexual minority Christian college students, we identify emergent themes important to ministry with sexual minorities integrating religious/spiritual and sexual identities: intrinsic religiosity, social relationships, self-acceptance, and complexity of identity integration. We propose a Trinitarian ministry model wherein the church serves as a holding environment—a discipling community intentionally designed to be relational, secure, and formational thereby creating a synergistic communal climate for identity development related to faith and sexuality.
This study investigates how bullying and banter are conceptualised and rationalised by those in male adolescent community football. The authors employ a social constructivist, interpretative phenomenological analysis approach using qualitative, semi-structured interviews. These methods explore the meanings behind the perceptions and experiences of male players (N = 8, M age = 15.4) and coaches (N = 4, M age = 39). Evidence demonstrated that intent was not synonymous with bullying and that bullying and banter behaviours are highly ambiguous depending on the shared understanding of learned barriers despite participants concurring with most aspects of the definitions. Moreover, banter and bullying behaviours in community football have been experienced by participants, with acts being rationalised through moral disengagement and hypermasculinity. The research indicates that although bullying and banter are conceptualised similarly to popular definitions, concrete definitions may be limited due to the fluid nature of bullying and banter and the influence of shared social understandings. Additionally, the findings gathered show bullying and banter being experienced and rationalised in male youth community sport through moral disengagement and masculinity. The implications of these findings for safeguarding players and coaches in community football are discussed.
This qualitative study utilized a Critical Race Feminista approach to explore the experiences of graduate Students of Color with racial microaffirmations. Racial microaffirmations are the subtle verbal and nonverbal strategies People of Color engage that affirm each other’s dignity, integrity, and shared humanity. These moments of shared cultural intimacy allow People of Color to feel acknowledged, respected, and valued in a society that constantly and perpetually seeks to dehumanize them. A Critical Race Feminista approach is grounded in Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Chicana feminist theoretical foundations. These theories guide the overall research design, and specifically, the methodological process. Four group pláticas were conducted with 30 students who also participated in the co-construction of knowledge during data analysis. This analysis revealed how racial microaffirmations can be embodied experiences, as sensory forms of knowledge that connect us to shared cultural intimacies and can serve as strategies for healing from racial traumas.
This commentary offers insights into how accounting faculty can begin to create more inclusive, equitable experiences for students. Many faculty are well-intentioned and desire to improve the student experience, but may not know where to start. We introduce a pathway of reflection, education, and action that we believe can help faculty get started on this process. Reflection is the process of assessing one’s own identity, influences, biases, and personal experiences with diversity and privilege. Education involves seeking out information and experiences that can enhance cultural competence, particularly around gaps identified through reflection. Action refers to practical steps taken to make classrooms more inclusive, including classroom management and curricular changes. We draw upon professional experiences in academia and personal knowledge as authors with diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds to guide faculty interested in beginning to develop more inclusive classrooms.
Over the past several decades, the introduction of the business model, managerialism, into the human services has led to dramatic changes in conditions of work and service delivery. This metric-driven approach increased the emphasis on measured performance outcomes and undercut the mission-driven nature of human services organizations. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread protests against racial injustice exposed routinely ignored structural racism long embedded in our social institutions. This reckoning led social workers to re-examine professional practices, organizational structures, and public policies through a critical, antiracist lens. Applying a racial justice lens to their study of the impact of managerialism in the human services workplace, authors identified troubling evidence of systemic racism in leadership hierarchies, worker control/surveillance on the job, quality of the physical work environment, exposure to workplace violence, exclusion by microinequities, and agency commitment to social justice. Worker resistance, ethical dilemmas, and well-being also varied by race. To become an antiracist profession, social work must seek long-term change in the human services workplace. The following analysis of the combined negative impact of managerialism and structural racism on human services organizations names the problem and presses us to rewrite the rules so we become a racial justice profession.
Previous research on the risk factors for the development of mental health disorders among Indigenous Peoples in the United States suggest that experiencing prejudice is correlated with the development of psychopathology. However, the relation between school‐based prejudice, including microaggressions, and the development of depression remains unexamined. As such, the current study is an exploratory analysis among a small sample (N = 47) of age 18–25 Indigenous young adults from the American Northwest examining the predictive relation between their retrospective recall of school‐based racial microaggressions as measured by the School‐Based Racial and Ethnic Microaggressions Subscale and their current levels of depressive symptoms in adulthood as measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. There was a statistically significant predictive relation found between participant's retrospective recall of microaggressions and their current levels of depression as young adults. As such, the practice and policy implications for school‐based professionals are discussed. Native American young adults experience racial microaggressions in the high school setting. Native American young adults recall of racial microaggressions in the high school setting were predictive of their current levels of depression as young adults. As such, the authors believe that school mental health professionals have the duty to identify and dismantle systems that uphold colonialism and racism within school systems. Native American young adults experience racial microaggressions in the high school setting. Native American young adults recall of racial microaggressions in the high school setting were predictive of their current levels of depression as young adults. As such, the authors believe that school mental health professionals have the duty to identify and dismantle systems that uphold colonialism and racism within school systems.
This chapter discusses the importance of a ‘sense of belonging' to student success among students participating in three different programs: first-year composition at a private 4-year university, supplemental instruction at a private 4-year university, and non-credit coursework at a community college. These program examples connect the program purpose and operation to a sense of belonging. Suggestions are also included to improve a sense of belonging within the programs. Finally, special factors within each program are addressed through the lens of a sense of belonging.
Women of color in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) face multiple barriers to success (Ong et al., 2011). Students have different experiences mediated by race or gender, and when these two identities intersect, they face unique challenges. The purpose of this critical quantitative study was to examine department climate and its effect on women of color in STEM graduate programs at several campuses of an R1 state university system. Its focus was to discuss racism, discrimination, microaggressions, and sense of belonging. Using Carl Roger's Person-centered approach (Rogers, 1979), the authors propose solutions such as Appreciative Advising, growth mindset, microaffirmations, high-quality mentoring programs, and the creation of safe spaces. These solutions can be implemented at all levels where an advisor has influence: individual, departmental, and campus-wide.
A family- and culturally-centered approach to conversations about early relational health (ERH) can open up opportunities for universal family engagement. The appraisal of family-baby relational health is more trustworthy and useful when there is attunement to family voice and facilitator bias. Early Relational Health Conversations (ERH-C) is a model for ERH promotion and intervention. This model has eight components: preparing and entering the ERH-C space, accessing strength and knowledge in a healing-centered space, pausing and co-creating, storytelling, witnessing, mutual reflection, affirming, and claiming their relationship narrative, and mutual insight. It is a paradigm shift in working with African American families and possibly other historically marginalized families who are also impacted by structural racism. The eight components are explained, and examples are given from the perspective of an Africentric worldview. The importance of cultural humility, attuning to and honoring family culture is emphasized. Insights for implementation in primary care and other settings are provided. Healing-centered engagement practices embedded in ERH-C have the potential to move ERH work into the social justice arena. The ERH-C is a family reflection model. Ideas for future directions for ERH-C are discussed.
Despite the positive impacts of an increasing number of organisational initiatives and campaign groups, unequal access to the countryside remains an intransigent issue. Contesting the countryside’s normative associations is thus not just a conceptual challenge but a practical one for organisations managing rural sites. Taking the National Trust-run site of Wembury in Devon, UK, as a case study, I use critical discourse analysis to uncover institutions’ (including the National Trust and other charities, news media, and factual programmes) and individuals’ (using TripAdvisor data) discursive constructions of the landscape. Emerging themes include discourses of place, activities, and people, that—despite some dissonance and seeming contestation—cohere and (re)produce ideologies based on normative narratives of rural landscapes. I suggest the potential value of discourse analysis in surfacing rural storyscapes, and leveraging them to disrupt discourses which further exclusionary ideologies, as a tool to enable locally contextualised, practical means of advancing inclusion.
This study was an initial investigation of important areas of interest within the literature on transgender and gender diverse students, namely psychological health, well-being and campus climate for transgender and gender diverse students in young adulthood. What is unique is that data were obtained from Christian transgender and gender diverse students attending Christian college and universities. A sample of 31 undergraduate transgender students at nine Christian institutions in which staff were affiliated with the Association for Christians in Student Development completed an online survey. Participants reported high levels of religiosity, diversity in their attitudes about gender identity, negative perceptions of campus climate, lower levels of social support for gender identity than in general, moderate to high levels of psychological distress, and low to moderate levels of psychological well-being.
When women teach management in U.S. business schools they are likely to experience more gender inequities than men. In this essay we examine three dimensions of management teaching where gender inequities are likely to occur: (1) student-faculty interactions; (2) student evaluations of teaching; and (3) interactions between faculty peers. The types of inequities experienced by women when they teach include feeling social pressure to submit to ad hoc student demands for personal favors and emotional support that infringe on a professor’s time; having their teaching performance judged from student evaluations of teaching that are subject to gender bias; and experiencing lower levels of organizational inclusion compared to their male colleagues. We utilize theoretical logic from social role theory, relational practice, and perceived organizational inclusion frameworks supported by the research literature to provide greater insight as to why women are likely to experience more adversity when they teach management in business schools. After we explain the basis for gender inequities we prescribe action steps that should improve equity for all faculty who teach management. Finally, we provide a call-to-action for business school administrators to implement action steps to make an equitable teaching culture a reality.
Purpose
Social support may be provided by undergraduate students' family and friends and by other members of the campus community, including faculty. The purpose of this review article was to review the existing literature about the roles of faculty members as advisors, mentors, and gatekeepers who provide social support for undergraduate students. Social support is a buffer for stress, and current undergraduate students are more stressed than their predecessors.
Method
The study is a narrative review of the literature about faculty as advisors, mentors, and gatekeepers. The concept of social support and its relationship to students' stress is explored, followed by a discussion of faculty advisors' roles, knowledge, and skills and a synthesis of literature about prescriptive, developmental, praxis, and appreciative advising. A discussion of faculty as mentors who focus on students' experiences before, during, and after college and as gatekeepers who look for signs of students in distress concludes the review.
Conclusions
Faculty may provide social support to students inside and outside the classroom as advisors, mentors, and gatekeepers. Assuming these roles means faculty must consider students as whole people who have needs and experiences beyond academics. Students' stress was clear in the literature before COVID-19, and their concerns and needs are exacerbated during the pandemic. Additional research is needed to identify effective advising and mentoring programs for communication sciences and disorders undergraduate students. Increased institutional support for and recognition of the time, resources, and training faculty need to serve in this expanded role is also critical as faculty members attempt to manage their own stress.
The urgency of the Black Lives Matter movement, and societal inequities emerging amid the COVID-19 pandemic call researchers to better understand the implications of racism in the lives of People of Color. In this paper, we utilize Critical Race Theory (CRT) to extend theorizing on the concept of racial microaffirmations as a response to everyday systemic racism—racial microaggressions. We reframe the psychological concept of risk and protective factors to illustrate the relationship between racial microaggressions and microaffirmations. Our findings identify types of racial microaffirmations experienced by Students of Color at a public four-year institution in California. We explore how these microaffirmations are experienced and the effects they have on the students well-being.
This chapter argues that transformational conversations pertaining to race equality can only be productive if evidence-based mechanisms are in place to reconcile proposed actions for redress. Guided by socio-legal theory and Critical Race Theory (CRT), Thomas and Mikel suggest that this reconciliation is built on the legacy of systemic racism, at least 400 years ago and recommends acknowledgement that overt physical violence and brutality, microaggressions, racial harassment, racial bullying, discrimination and institutional racism are manifested in universities in myriad ways. These mechanisms of prejudice affect people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds in general, and people from Black backgrounds more extremely. Taken together, they have a traumatic, debilitating effect. The authors proffer a Race Equality Receipt as tangible proof of delivery on commitments to promote race equality.
In spite of this rising presence and educational attainment, Asian American and immigrant Asian women are notably underrepresented in academic leadership roles. Asian American women fall far behind White females in leadership positions in higher education, especially in community colleges that are assumed to be more liberal in acceptances than four year universities while nurturing women in administrative positions. Only nine Asian American women held presidential positions in community colleges in 2010. There was no immigrant Asian woman who reached the supreme leadership position. This chapter explores the question: Why are Asian American and immigrant Asian women, in spite of their rising presence in academia, severely underrepresented in leadership roles in academic administration? This is the point of focus this chapter engages to study from existing research.
Thinking about cultural assumptions, referred to as cultural metacognition, can help increase awareness, build trust, and create successful marketing and sales outcomes. The role of cultural metacognition in marketing and sales education helps students build a cultural metacognition knowledge base and promotes appreciation of its importance and effect on business enhancement. The context of this article will help amplify knowledge, ideas, and skills necessary to connect various issues of teaching and learning cultural metacognition. This article will facilitate business educators' teaching practices that foster learning cultural metacognition and its effects on marketing and sales. The ultimate goal is to help elevate teaching, learning, and assessment practices related to the topic of cultural metacognition in marketing and sales education.
The role of microaggressions has gained increasing philosophical attention in recent years. However, microaggressions only tell part of the story. An often-overlooked component of inequality is the uneven and unjust distribution of microaffirmations. In this paper, I give a new definition of microaffirmations as signals that a recipient belongs to some valued or high-status class. Microaffirmations can—but need not—lead individuals to gain a sense of confidence, belonging, and merit. I then explain the harms of microaffirmations, arguing that when microaffirmations are distributed inequitably, they can have larger ramifications for injustice, harming some vulnerable groups more than others. In addition, microaffirmations can lead individual actors to make choices based on who gives them microaffirmations and where they receive them, and thus can have outsized influence over the direction of an individual’s life because individuals tend to migrate to where they feel valued, appreciated, and included. I then turn to solutions to the problems I raise. I argue we should attend to and attempt to rectify inequalities in microaffirmations because doing so can help ensure not just the absence of negative attention, but also that the presence of positive attention is flowing in a just and equitable way.
While a growing body of literature exists assessing the importance of workplace
bullying within an organizational setting, many “black boxes” within this literature
stream still remain. Of particular interest to the current work is the impact of
different types of rhetoric utilized within an organizational setting and how said
rhetoric is able to either exacerbate or mitigate these workplace bullying events.
The current research seeks to partially fill this gap by examining the impact of 1)
rhetoric used by individuals at different levels of the organizational hierarchy, and
2) rhetoric centered around conflict, specifically cognitive versus affective. By
doing so, the current work seeks to provide a more in-depth understanding of how
workplace bullying events evolve and thus provide suggestions for how these events
may be alleviated, if not eliminated, within the organizational setting. Managerial
and organizational implications are discussed.
A well-respected surgical professor is the invited speaker for a conference at a large academic surgical department. As part of the events, there is a meet-and-greet to allow residents, fellows, and faculty speak with the professor. Dr. Z is a junior surgeon second-generation American citizen of Ecuadorean descent. The professor turns to Dr. Z and says, “you know, I told my fellow Mohammad to change his name to Matt so he could get a chief job.” The group of residents appear uncomfortable, but no one says anything in response.
Here we describe three types of bias in research that can impede advancement in academic surgery by members of groups who are under represented in medicine (URIM): Content bias; Institutional Bias; and bias based on race and gender. We also describe current efforts to reduce such bias and promote equitable advancement in our field.
In spite of this rising presence and educational attainment, Asian American and immigrant Asian women are notably underrepresented in academic leadership roles. Asian American women fall far behind White females in leadership positions in higher education, especially in community colleges that are assumed to be more liberal in acceptances than four year universities while nurturing women in administrative positions. Only nine Asian American women held presidential positions in community colleges in 2010. There was no immigrant Asian woman who reached the supreme leadership position. This chapter explores the question: Why are Asian American and immigrant Asian women, in spite of their rising presence in academia, severely underrepresented in leadership roles in academic administration? This is the point of focus this chapter engages to study from existing research.
In der ambulanten Begleitung von Menschen mit psychischen Erkrankungen ist eine reflektierte und strukturell unterstützte Beziehungsarbeit zentral. Die AutorInnen beleuchten, wie eine hilfreiche professionelle Beziehung in der Arbeit mit psychisch Erkrankten handlungspraktisch und konzeptionell umgesetzt werden kann, und sie zeigen auf, welche organisatorischen Strukturen dabei unterstützen.
Betreuungsdynamik und Entwicklung als hilfreich erlebter Beziehungen werden sowohl aus der Perspektive der KlientInnen als auch aus der Perspektive der MitarbeiterInnen in den Blick genommen. Hierauf basierend entwerfen die AutorInnen ein an der Praxis orientiertes theoretisches Modell der sensiblen Gestaltung gelingender und hilfreicher Beziehungen.
The ADEA Faculty Diversity Toolkit provides an overview of best practices, strategies and model programs that postsecondary institutions have used to improve the recruitment and retention of historically underrepresented and marginalized faculty.
The Toolkit is also meant to assist dental schools and allied programs in evaluating and designing programs to improve their faculty diversity recruitment and retention efforts.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.