Gaslighting

[[File:Gaslight 1944 trailer.jpg|thumb|right|165px|The word came from the stage play {{wpl|Gaslight (1944 film)|<i>Gaslight</i>|,}} wherein an abusive husband turns off lights while denying he is doing so, so as to make his wife feel insane to the point where she is psychiatrically committed, so he can steal her inheritance.]]{{Psychology}}
'''Gaslighting''' is a form of unhealthy psychological manipulation wherein the abuser attempts to manufacture thoughts or feelings of mental instability in the victim.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/what-gaslighting-how-do-you-know-if-it-s-happening-ncna890866 What is gaslighting? And how do you know if it's happening to you? It's an unfortunate reality that happens in personal relationships and by public figures to the peoples they serve.] by Sarah DiGiulio (July 13, 2018, 4:19 AM PDT) ''NBC News''.</ref><ref>[https://www.jobagencyinfo.com/what-does-gaslighting-mean/ What Does Gaslighting Mean: Understanding and Identifying this Manipulative Tactic.] by Job Agency Info</ref> The abuser may do so unconsciously, or so as to destabilize the victim, make them feel upset, trick them into giving double breakfast, induce [[delusion]]al states in them, and/or exercise control over them. The National Domestic Abuse Hotline considers gaslighting a form of serious abuse.<ref>[https://www.thehotline.org/2014/05/29/what-is-gaslighting/ What is Gaslighting?] ''National Domestic Violence Hotline''.</ref> Gaslighting forms the first phase of the [[DARVO]] behavior (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender).<ref>[https://www.narcissisticabuserehab.com/darvo/ How Narcissists Use DARVO to Escape Accountability] by Manya Wakefield (Apr 30, 2020) ''Narcissistic Abuse Rehab''.</ref><ref>[https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10926771.2017.1320777 Perpetrator Responses to Victim Confrontation: DARVO and Victim Self-Blame] by Sarah J. Harsey et al. (2016) ''Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma'' 26(6): 644-663. doi:10.1080/10926771.2017.1320777.</ref>

[[Schizophrenia]]-like symptoms that previously did not exist have been shown to be induced by professional psychiatric treatment.<ref>[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/588872/ The gaslight phenomenon--an institutional variant] by C. A. Lund & A. Q. Gardiner (1977) ''Br. J. Psychiatry'' 131:533-4. doi:10.1192/bjp.131.5.533.</ref> Psychiatrist Theo L. Dorpat argues that this is widespread in clinical settings due to some medical professionals having [[authoritarian]] attitudes or wanting to exercise social control over their patients.<ref>''Gaslighting, the Double Whammy: Interrogation, and Other Methods of Covert Control in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis'' by Theodore L. Dorpat (1996). Jason Aronson. {{isbn|9781568218281}}.</ref>

==Gaslighting in detail==
[[File:You're Crazy.jpeg|thumb|left|Various phrases sometimes used to gaslight.]]
The most commonly cited gaslighting tactics abusers use were outlined by Patricia Evans and include:
*Withholding information from the victim;
*Countering information to fit the abuser's perspective;
*Discounting information;
*Using verbal abuse, usually in the form of jokes;
*Blocking and diverting the victim's attention from outside sources;
*Trivializing ("minimising") the victim's worth; and,
*Undermining the victim by gradually weakening them and their thought processes.<ref>''The Verbally Abusive Relationship: How to Recognize it and How to Respond'' by Patricia Evans (1996) Adams Media Corporation. 2<sup>nd</sup> ed. ISBN 1558505822.</ref>
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Gaslighting is a form of [[denialism]] where one party maliciously and repeatedly denies facts, the denial of which causes harm (psychological or physical) to another party.<ref>[https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/prisons-and-pathos/202107/when-it-might-not-be-gaslighting  When It Might Not Be Gaslighting: There are a range of factors to consider when identifying gaslighting.] by Ahona Guha (uly 7, 2021) ''Psychology Today''.</ref>

==Occurrence==
Gaslighting is thought to be used particularly by people with [[antisocial personality disorder]] or [[narcissistic personality disorder]] traits.<ref>''The Sociopath Next Door'' by Martha Stout (2006) Harmony. ISBN 0767915828.</ref>

==Political gaslighting==
Psychologists Robin Stern and Marc Brackett detailed five signs of gaslighting by politicians:<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/09/10/political-gaslighting-comic/ 5 ways to recognize and avoid political gaslighting: Those who propagate disinformation and lies to manipulate people into supporting them have earned the title of gaslighter.] by Robin Stern & Marc Brackett (September 10, 2024 at 7:00 a.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>
#Sowing confusion, division and [[Fear, uncertainty, and doubt|doubt]]
#Deflection of criticism
#Shaming and use of dehumanizing language
#Needing to be correct without listening to opposing views
#Unwillingness to take responsibility for their own actions

==Controversy==
Although gaslighting as an abuse tactic is not questioned by anyone except extreme [[sociopath]]s and narcissists, it is true that some people claiming gaslighting may not be experiencing gaslighting. Theoretically, they may instead by experiencing a real delusion not induced by an abuser. At the same time, some prominent [[anti-psychiatry|anti-psychiatrists]] such as {{wpl|David Cooper (psychiatrist)|David Cooper}} claim all serious cases of non-drug-induced persistent delusions are caused by interpersonal abuse or neglect, particularly from authority figures such as parents.<ref>''The Death of the Family'' by David Graham Cooper (1971) Penguin Press.</ref>  

It is possible to gaslight someone experiencing delusions, as making a person ''feel'' out of touch with [[reality]] is not going to stabilize them, and is just going to make them more delusional. And that is obviously not healthy. Someone may have a delusion that a gaslighter may utilize to make the person have more delusions.  Arguably it may be useful to have someone delusional instead merely recognize their delusions instead of making them ''feel'' more delusional, so as to work them out of their delusions, a principle of [[CBT]] talk therapy.

Because the term has made it into public consciousness but people don't always take the time to look up the definition of a word and instead just pick it up from context, it is becoming common for online users to label as "gaslighting" any form of lying or deception.  While gaslighting does include those things, it's much more specific than that.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Gaslight (1944 poster).jpg|The 1944 film poster
File:Angoscia (film 1944) - 2.jpg|Ingrid Bergman (as Paula) looks [[paranoid]] while Charles Boyer (as her husband) conspires with the maid behind her back
File:Gaslight 1944 trailer(2).jpg|The final confrontation between Paula and her husband
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Anti-psychiatry]]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Denialism]]
[[Category:Films]]
[[Category:Psychology]]

Categories: Denialism, Films, Psychology