The enigma of unintentional racial microaggressions:

Malik McCann; Keith Tudor

doi:10.24135/ajpanz.2024.03

Malik McCann
Keith Tudor Auckland University of Technology

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24135/ajpanz.2024.03

Keywords: racial microaggressions; racism; psychosocial issues; implicit racialisation; cultural competence; decolonisation; colonisation; implicit bias; unconscious bias.

Abstract

Unintentional racial and cultural microaggressions towards indigenous and minority peoples while injurious to recipients, are characteristically not recognised by the perpetrator and when challenged, are often not able to be met with curiosity or the capacity for reflection. The difference in racial and cultural realities exposed in these encounters can lead to breakdowns in recognition and polarising dynamics which perpetuate structural oppression. They also represent missed opportunities for greater understanding of the ways socially sanctioned norms, assumptions and beliefs reinforce the implicit positioning of self and other as racial and cultural objects. Through consideration of the societal, interpersonal and intrapsychic aspects of the first author’s experience through heuristic enquiry (supervised by the second author), we consider unintentional racial microaggressive encounters and challenges as the observable outcome of implicit racialisation into colonial society. This article presents some discussion and implications for the discipline or profession of psychotherapy.

Author Biographies

Malik McCann

Malik McCann is a registered psychotherapist, wife and mother of three wonderful young adults. She is of mixed heritage Niuean, Samoan, Chinese and Irish descent, born and raised in Aotearoa New Zealand. She is a member of Tangata Moana Psychotherapy Collective and through her own journey of reclamation and decolonisation has come to be deeply interested in exploring the unconscious aspects of normative intergenerational socialisation into the colonial environment and how this is enacted in therapeutic relationships and training spaces. She is currently undertaking a PhD, exploring the underlying and often unspoken cross-cultural tensions that exist in training environments from the stand point of different cultural perspectives and relationships to power, through talanoa.

Keith Tudor, Auckland University of Technology

Keith Tudor is Professor of Psychotherapy at Auckland University of Technology, where he is also a co-lead of Moana Nui – Research in the Psychological Therapies. He has published on the subject of psychotherapy, culture, race, the social world, and politics, and, alongide being the Editor and Co-Editor of Ata (2012–2017), was the Editor of Psychotherapy and Politics International (2012–2022) https://ojs.aut.ac.nz/psychotherapy-politics-international/, another open-access journal published by Tuwhera Open Access. He also promotes and supports students and graduates to publish articles from their master’s and doctoral research.

The enigma of unintentional racial microaggressions

Implications for the profession of psychotherapy

Abstract

Author Biographies