Gaslighting is a form of emotional abuse in which the gaslighter uses psychological manipulation to undermine the gaslightee, causing the person to question themselves and their reality. The gaslighter's need for control and power in a relationship is a key component of gaslighting.
To gaslight someone means to manipulate another person into doubting their own perceptions, experiences or understanding of events, according to the American Psychological Association.
Some attribute the increase in usage as a reaction to President Donald Trump's habit of denying he said something after it was clear that he had, and doubling down on his denial when caught in a lie.
Gaslighting is the subjective experience of having one's reality repeatedly questioned by another.
The first records of the use of the term gaslight in the context of psychology come from the early 1960s. By the 1990s, the term gaslight had gained more casual use outside of psychology, usually in the context of abusive relationships or political rhetoric.
It could be divided into four different types: outright lying, manipulation of reality, scapegoating and coercion. Often the experience is a combination of these four types and not just limited to one of them.
It's fitting that in an age of misinformation — fake news, conspiracy theories and social media trolling — that 2023's word of the year is “gaslighting.” Dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster said its searches for “gaslighting” saw a 1740 percent increase throughout the year.
A driver of disorientation and mistrust, gaslighting is “the act or practice of grossly misleading someone especially for one's own advantage.” 2022 saw a 1740% increase in lookups for gaslighting, with high interest throughout the year.
But, be aware the term gaslighting – and abuse of it – is trendy now.
Critical Thinking. The opposite of gaslighting is critical thinking, not validation or deference or coddling.
Gaslighting is the use of a patterned, repetitive set of manipulation tactics that makes someone question reality. It's often used by people with narcissistic personality disorder, abusive individuals, cult leaders, criminals, and dictators.
Gaslighting is an insidious form of manipulation and psychological control. Victims of gaslighting are deliberately and systematically fed false information that leads them to question what they know to be true, often about themselves. They may end up doubting their memory, their perception, and even their sanity.
"People may incorrectly use the term 'gaslighting' when another person is pushing their agenda or perhaps insists on convincing others to see things their way," Dr. Kennedy says.
Another way to identify examples of gaslighting is to think about how you might go about eroding somebody's sense of reality. Efforts to hide important details, lie about one's own actions, and control the narrative and the person in general, are all behaviors that can have a gaslighting effect (Petric, 2022).
The term “gaslighting” originates in a British play-turned film from the 1930s. The play was called “Gas Light” and the plot is about a husband who mentally and emotionally manipulates his wife into believing she is crazy by changing the intensity of the gas lamps within their home.
When British playwright Patrick Hamilton wrote Gas Light in 1938, little did he know how often the word would be used in the 21st Century. Merriam-Webster, America's oldest dictionary publisher, has just chosen "gaslighting" as its word of the year.
gaslighting, an elaborate and insidious technique of deception and psychological manipulation, usually practiced by a single deceiver, or “gaslighter,” on a single victim over an extended period.
If we stick to the clinical definition, gaslighters have two signature moves: They lie with the intent of creating a false reality, and they cut off their victims socially.
The gaslighter enjoys emotionally, physically, and financially controlling their victims. The relationship may start well the manipulative person may praise his or her victim and establishes trust quickly by confiding in their victim immediately.
Gaslighting is a form of narcissistic abuse that causes a person to question their sanity and doubt their perception of reality. The end goal of gaslighting is for the narcissist to gain control over a person's thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse in which a person or group causes someone to question their own sanity, memories, or perception of reality. People who experience gaslighting may feel confused, anxious, or as though they cannot trust themselves.
Gaslighting is a form of emotional and psychological abuse wherein a person uses verbal and behavioral tricks to convince another person they are losing their mind or—at the very least—cannot trust their own judgment.
Signs of Narcissist Gaslighting
They may try to make you feel like you're overreacting or being too sensitive by saying things like, “You're being paranoid,” or “You're imagining things.” They might also try to control what you do and who you see by trying to isolate you from your friends and family.