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Implicit Bias
An implicit bias is an unconscious preference. In the context of social justice, implicit biases reflect deep-seated preferences against members of a particular group. Unconscious processes may not be reflective of conscious processes. For example, in the civil rights movements of the 1960s, millions of baby boomers made conscious decisions and took decisive action to promote equality of race and gender. The unconscious mind, however, harbors everything to which it is exposed. The baby boom began in 1946, when people overtly expressed racial prejudice and gender roles advantaged males. Despite their social activism, the baby boomers had a high rate of exposure to messages of bias from early childhood. Implicit associations are unconscious cognitions based upon these early messages. The psychological community generally agrees with Freud's topographical model of the mind that estimates more than 90 percent of the mind's processes as unconscious. The content of the unconscious mind is not available for evaluation. It is difficult to determine empirically how much the unconscious mind influences preferences and decisions. Also unknown is whether material held in the unconscious mind is malleable.
Impact on Social Justice
A stereotype is an assumption about a group that is based upon learned associations about that group. It is possible for a person to consciously reject stereotypes and promote social activism while maintaining an implicit bias. Prejudice is an unfavorable evaluation of a group without having any experience with that group. The roots of prejudice are in implicit bias, and discrimination is unfair treatment of a marginalized group that arises out of prejudice. People with implicit biases behave differently toward those against whom they hold biases, even though they are unaware of those biases. Observable, quantifiable behaviors that are associated with implicit biases include differences in eye contact, differences in how verbalizations are directed, and proxemics.
Social injustices that arise from implicit biases are innumerable. In the legal system, bias is evident at every level. A black man striking a white woman draws more negative attention than a white man striking a black woman. Racial profiling relies on stereotypes about race or ethnicity rather than on reasonable suspicion to place an individual under scrutiny. Research shows that white jurors convict darker-skinned defendants at a higher rate than white defendants. Black defendants are also likely to incur longer sentences. employment discrimination disadvantages women and minorities through unfair hiring practices, failure to mentor, failure to promote, and unfair wages. In the areas of housing, education, service, and health care, implicit bias can override social consciousness.
Micro-Aggression
Implicit bias has been associated with micro-aggression. Micro-aggressions are nonphysical exchanges that demean a person of another race, gender, age, or ability. Micro-aggressions can be verbal, nonverbal, visual, or behavioral and often are carried out unconsciously. Micro-aggressions are categorized as micro-assaults, micro-insults, and micro-invalidation. Micro-assault refers to verbal or nonverbal attacks intended to convey discriminatory and biased sentiment and include using derogatory names for race, gender, or sexual orientation. Micro-insults are unintentional behaviors or comments demonstrating insensitivity or demeaning a person's race, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation identity. Examples of micro-insults are assuming less capability in a person of color, suggesting that values and communication styles of people of color are abnormal, and racial profiling. Micro-invalidations are comments or behaviors that are dismissive of a group's beliefs or feelings. Assuming that people who appear racially different are foreigners, asserting that a white person does not see race, or diminishing the importance of race and racism are micro-invalidations.
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