Real Talk

An emotional wound is very similar to a physical wound, the only difference being, you cannot see it. You can feel it and that feeling gives it life and breath. It can be sometimes difficult to accept what we cannot see as being in existence, but consider, we can feel the wind, we can feel love, we can feel chemistry, we can look around us and see how it envelops itself and transforms our lives through our life choices. Wounds are also very powerful and often unconscious creators in our lives. In order to change our lives, we must begin to use their wisdom to help increase our feelings of worthiness and peace. This process begins with acknowledging the existence of our wounds. Similar to the body experiencing physical pain when it is wounded, our emotional selves experience emotional pain. This emotional aspect of ourselves is driven to heal these wounds just like our bodies through the filter of experiences we have with ourselves and others in our lives.  

The term Cognitive Dissonance emerged from the research of social psychologist Leon Festinger in 1957. Festinger indicates a cognition as having any thought, knowledge, or belief about the environment, oneself or one’s behavior. Dissonance is a deep internal discomfort, similar to what one would feel with hunger but on a psychological level. Cognitive Dissonance is an attempt to relieve or alleviate the deep discomfort brought about by some thought, knowledge or belief about the environment, oneself or one’s behavior. 

Festinger (1985) A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Stanford University Press. Stanford, California. 

 A society is a group of beings living in an organized way. Societies with social constructs are when a group of people create and adapt certain ideas about what they perceive and give meaning to within the group. Constructs, while many are wonderful at providing cultural expression, structure and beauty, there are some that restrict, hinder, and confine. For example, constructs around race, sex, gender, ability, and age,

References

Bagemihl, B. (1999). Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity. St. Martin's Publishing Group.

Fuentes, A. (2015). Race, Monogamy, and Other Lies They Told You: Busting Myths about Human Nature. University of California Press.

Wood, A., Kleinbaum, A. M., & Wheatley, T. (2022). Cultural diversity broadens social
networks. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000395

Microaggressions, first created by Harvard Professor Chester Middlebrook then further developed by Counseling Psychologist Derald Wing Sue defines microaggressions as brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral and environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative slights or insults to a target person or group. What do you do when you receive them, what do you do when you commit them.
References
Brown, B., (2010) The Gifts of Imperfection: let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are. Center City, MN. Hazelden.

Ray, L.,  Smith, D., Wastell, L.,(2004) Shame, Rage and Racist Violence, The British Journal of Criminology, Volume 44, Issue 3, May (2004), Pages 350–368, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azh022

Sue, D. W., Capodilupo, C.M., Torino, G. C. Bucceri, J. M., Holder, A. M. B., Nadal, K.L., & Esquilin, M. E. (2007). Racial Microaggressions in everyday life: Implications for clinical practice. American Psychologist, 62(4), 271-286.

Sue, D. W., Spanierman, L., (2020) Revised Edition of Microaggressions in everyday life. Hoboken, NJ. Wiley.

Torino, G.  (2017, November 10) How racism and microaggressions lead to worse health. Retrieved from https://centerforhealthjournalism.org/2017/11/08/how-racism-and-microaggressions-lead-worse-health