Indirect Intergroup Bargaining: An Evolutionary Psychological Theory of Microaggression

The microaggression concept has been discussed in the academic literature and public discourse, but the nature—and even existence—of microaggressions remains controversial. Here, we introduce an evolutionary psychological theory of how microaggressions may result from an evolved cognitive architecture for intergroup bargaining. According to this theory, microaggressions constitute a form of low-cost, plausibly ambiguous intergroup aggression used in contexts of perceived intergroup power equilibria featuring advantageous inequality. The behavioral output of the system in this context is designed to be indirect because more direct communication should readily create common knowledge on the part of the marginalized target group, thus risking a compensatory coordinated outrage response. This approach helps explain the cross-cultural variance in which microaggressions have been remarked upon and where they have not, individual differences in endorsement of the microaggression concept, features of the psychological response to microaggressions, and the selective deployment of bargaining tactics such as the maintenance of group dominance hierarchies.