Micro-Aggression as the Opposite of Micro-Affirmation - Case Study Example

Micro-aggression and Micro-affirmation Micro-affirmation can be defined as small acts in the work environment that encourage inclusion, listening, comfort and support for other persons who may feel unwanted or unseen in an environment. Taking for example higher learning education, this can be assumed to communicate to students that they are welcome, visible and capable of performing very well in the college environment (Eugenie and Atkins 67). With the use of this concept in the educational field, students are highly motivated in their areas of specialization in colleges. In addition, in such areas, a work set up in micro-affirmation will encourage and more so firmly motivate employees. Moreover, this leads to increased satisfaction and reduced employee turnover rates. Therefore, managers, supervisors and academic officers have the opportunity to apply the micro-affirmation actions. This has high positive impacts to student and also to the employees. On the other hand, micro-aggression is the opposite of micro-affirmation as it includes understated verbal and non verbal cues that can be insulting to an individual or a group (Feruzan, Irani, Campbell, McCartney and Gooding 102).This is usually targeted for specific color or those in lower social economic class who have the tendency of not performing to inform them that they are unwelcome, invisible, or incapable of performing well. In my paper, I will discuss the use of micro-aggression in an academic environment focusing on its use and impact to student’s performance and success (Eugenie and Atkins 89). Students do succeed due to the small gestures conveyed to them which lead to their motivation to put extra efforts in their education. The educators should always sprinkle and extend supportive and caring information all over the institutions to motivate their students. Such extended information is and should be regarded as micro-affirmations. On the other hand, many institutions still have some racism in a kind despite its fight by different organizations. This is what is referred as micro-aggression (RINGROSE & JESSICA 106). Micro-aggression activities do discourage individual as they depict that they cannot perform given task or that they are unwelcome in a given environment. A good example is (RINGROSE & JESSICA 124) an implication that an individual of a given color must have succeeded in a given accomplishment by assistance of special program for the underrepresented or low-income groups, and not by the worthiness of their talent or skills, or indifferent the negative understanding of students who have gone through intentional or unintentional bias on campus. Other examples of micro-aggressions involves ignoring or invalidating a person’s culture or heritage, such as forcing a Jewish person to get involved in a classy Christmas party in which the highest percentage of people are Christian, or when an English-speaking person from the United States deliberately creates a nickname or shorter version of an immigrant’s name to make it sound more American. The impact of micro-aggression has been highly evidenced as it has a lot of harm. It has harmful effects on an individual’s ability to develop and succeed in any given environment. In the academic field, this is usually directed as the student from underrepresented group and students from under-resourced backgrounds (RINGROSE & JESSICA 10). This has highly been observed and more so associated with student erosion in the higher learning. It is worth noting that both micro-aggression and micro-affirmation do exist and they possibly carry equal power to do good rather than harm. In regard to the definition of micro-affirmation as small acts in the work environment that encourage inclusion, listening, comfort, and support for other persons who may feel unwanted or unseen in an environment. In the educational context such as higher education, this can convey information to the students despite the background, that they are all welcome, visible and that they are capable of performing very well in their college education or environment (Feruzan, Irani, Campbell, McCartney and Gooding 19).On these bases, these acts will fuel the student development thus thriving in their college life. Through this, the students are able to adapt to the environment in which they are. This in return is likely to have positive impact on students’ persistence, retention rates, and graduation rates and students satisfaction. More often micro-affirmation has highly been researched in writing on management and organizational effectiveness but very little has been done regarding educational field. Different scholars describe micro-affirmation as ‘often unintentional acts’ within a work setting among specialized individuals (Hoshino-Browne, Etsuko 109). In this context, the educational advisers in different educational fields can use the micro-affirmation in advising services in colleges and more so to the students, faculty, and staff dynamics. This therefore should become frequent and an intentional practice due to the fact that these can be very reliable and has the potential to become well defined components of effective advising programs. This can be viewed in the perspective that academic advisers play a critical role in the guiding of students all through their school life till graduation. In this position, they affirm the students to their success and more so encourage their persistence. While performing their duties, academic advisers interact highly with their students in such a way that they can influence their behaviors academically, their perspectives and their levels of engagement at an institution. In this regard, students who come across with high-quality interaction within the educational environment are likely to carry on and thrive as compared to students who have low-quality interactions. Students from different backgrounds especially those from under-resourced or under-represented social backgrounds view high-quality interaction as if their experiences are valued and their potential for academic success is encouraged at personal or group levels. In addition high-quality interactions tend to assist the student in the course selection to avoid regrets at the end of the course (Eugenie and Atkins 133). Through this, the students develop academic motivation and self confidence to persist till graduation. The use of Micro-affirmations practices frequently can help the students develop a sense of belongingness, self-efficiency and resiliency. With these qualities, the students will struggle all through their academic life despite the uncountable challenges that they may experience. In addition, this can assist students greatly to become self-regulated scholars. However, to achieve this, students must be given feedback on their performance both academically and non-academically (Feruzan, Irani, Campbell, McCartney and Gooding 71). Feedback helps the students to adjust their behavior, habits and perspectives towards the goal achievements. This therefore can prepare the student in their education and more so prepare them in them for their future life. It is important to for the adviser to note that before taking his roles, he or she should take into consideration and more so appreciate differences between micro-affirmations and acts of kindness or empathy. Micro-affirmation clearly recognizes and validates individuals in ways that allow them thrive in environments where they feel marginalized, hopeless or lost or even out of place. General kindness or empathy does not actually appreciate the social background, relationships, and individual traits such as social capital, ethnicity, accessibility, and sense of belongingness that influence personal viewpoints, behaviors, and choices in an environment (RINGROSE & JESSICA 11). Micro-affirmations distinguish these influences and gives appropriately affirming supports. Micro-affirmations are above kind or nice gestures; they can be used as part of a deliberate advising strategy in which advisers value the unique elements influencing an individuals’ ability to thrive in a particular environment and provide supportive affirmation. In this regard the adviser should include the following in their micro-affirmation while conducting their daily roles in advising practices with individual students. First is to practice active listening. This involves focusing on the students while repeating what the students are saying to ensure that you capture and understand what they are trying to convey. Second is to recognize and validate every student’s experience by valuing their diverse backgrounds (Eugenie and Atkins 195). Third is to affirm student’s feeling. This involves use of words such as ‘I appreciate that this is frustrating,’ among other encouraging words and sentences. Forth is to help the students optimally process academic experiences. Last but not least is reinforcing, rewarding, and suggesting healthy student’s viewpoints and behaviors that lead to academic success. This involves use of verbal communication that encourages and conveys inclusion, appreciation and recognition among individual students during the advising appointments. In conclusion, effective academic advising is a very vital contributor to high school success. As a reliable source of academic support, academic advisers are positioned to affirm student familiarity (Hoshino-Browne, Etsuko 89) Micro-affirmations are apparatus to communicate to students, particularly those who feel marginalized, that they are welcome, visible, and capable of succeeding. Works Cited Eugenie, A. S., and Atkins Terryl. "Preventing and Combating Administrative Narcissism: Implications for Professional Programmes." Journal of Educational Administration. 48.5 (2010): 579-594. Print. Feruzan, Irani W, Campbell Constance, McCartney William, and Gooding Carl. "Leader Derailment: the Impact of Self-Defeating Behaviors." Leadership & Organization Development Journal. 34.1 (2013): 85-97. Print. Hoshino-Browne, Etsuko. "Cultural Variations in Motivation for Cognitive Consistency: Influences of Self-Systems on Cognitive Dissonance." Social and Personality Psychology Compass. 6.2 (2012): 126-141. Print. RINGROSE, JESSICA. "Beyond Discourse? Using Deleuze and Guattaris Schizoanalysis to Explore Affective Assemblages, Heterosexually Striated Space, and Lines of Flight Online and at School." Educational Philosophy and Theory. 43.6 (2011): 598-618. Print. Read More