Child abuse, part 2.6: how psychopaths lie, deny and gaslight
Channel: spiritanvil
Date: 2011-07-12

Lies can be a horrible form of abuse if one believes them. If life is a series of choices, then making the wrong choice due to misdirection inevitably degrades the quality of one's life; and if lies come to dominate one's life, as is the case with brainwashed cult members, the damage is tremendous.

The term "gaslighting" (Wikipedia article below) is often used in the popular literature to denote efforts to change a person's perceptions of reality. I think all abusers do this to some extent. And, of course, the most notorious abusers - those with the resources to engage in propaganda, such as businessmen, politicians and university administrators - practice gaslighting against large groups of people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaslighting