Gaslighting or gas light according to psychology

"You are crazy", "You are too sensitive", "They are your imaginations"... These phrases are part of a pattern of psychological abuse known as gaslighting or gas light. This type of abuse is characterized by manipulating a person to the point where the victim questions her own judgment and believes she loses her sanity. This term was coined by the film adaptation of a play, said film is titled "Gaslight" and deals with the story of a man who tries to convince his beloved that she "is crazy" through endless manipulations emotional

If you want to know more about the most subtle form of abuse in psychological abuse, we recommend you read this Psychology-Online article in which we will talk about the gaslighting or gas light according to psychology. In addition, we will show you the most common signs in which it occurs so that you can detect gaslighting.

Index

1. What is gaslighting in the couple: meaning and examples
2. Examples of gaslighting in the couple
3. 5 Signs of psychological manipulation
4. Gaslighting or gas light at work

We define gaslighting as a very subtle type of emotional abuse based on making the victim believe that they are not in their right mind and everything she thinks, remembers and perceives is within her imagination. Manipulation in gaslighting is one of its most heartbreaking characteristics, reaching the point where the victim himself comes to question his own judgment and memories of the events.

About the movie "gas light"

As we said at the beginning of this article, the translation of gaslighting is "gas light" and this name has its origin in a film adaptation of the work entitled "Gas Light". The film released in 1940 is based on the story of a man (Gregory) who tries in a subtle but deliberate way to make his wife Paula lose my mind and end up in a mental hospital to steal her jewelry.

In this case, Gregory uses various methods to make his wife question your own judgment: he moves objects around and blames Paula for losing them, she also constantly questions everything she tells him and tells him that she "is crazy" and that "all of her are her imaginations". In addition, the husband also exercises this mistreatment in front of his friends, contributing to the idea that they also think that Paula is crazy.

The abuse is such that Paula begins to believe that she has real problems and that her judgment is affected by her mental instability.

40 years later, in 1980, the term gaslighting was coined to refer to two phenomena within the psychological abuse in the partner:

• Those people who ithey consciously confuse their partner and feed your most unstable thoughts
• Those individuals who consciously manipulate their partner with the goal of getting something from that person.

The article published by Kate Abramson^[1] summarizes very well some of the examples and phrases that a person who exercises this type of psychological abuse may say:

• Don't be paranoid
• They are your imaginations
• I was only joking!
• That never happened
• I think you are exaggerating
• I think you are not mentally well, you are not a stable person

Before commenting on the 5 signs of psychological manipulation, in Psychology-Online we want to remind you that it is important to reflect on the situation you are experiencing.

If you consider that your partner does not respect you, you can try talking to her on how their attitude and comments make you feel. In the case of not finding a solution and seeing that the situation remains the same, keep reading about this pattern of abuse to detect it and get out of it as soon as possible.

We refer to mistreatment or psychological abuse as those acts in which one person threatens the mental integrity of another. On many occasions, psychological abuse is clearly expressed in the form of insults, threats, humiliation... However, there are other ways that a very serious pattern of abuse can be observed.

How to detect gaslighting?: 5 warning signs

If you want to know how to identify the phenomenon of gaslighting or gaslighting, you should pay special attention to the signs of psychological manipulation that we offer you below:

1. Deny something that you know is evident

If your partner denies an event or something he has said, it may be a symptom of gaslighting.

• For instance, you know that your partner commented that he did not like X movie, however, this one denies it by lying in a shameless way "I never said that!"planting like this, the seed of doubt "Have I heard him wrong?" or "Have I made it up?" These are some of the thoughts that may appear in your head.

2. Comments on your mental health

Especially if you have been through a mental disorder, the psychological abuser can use your past as a throwing weapon "remember that you are not well, you have had problems and right now you do not think clearly"This message may look like what the gaslighting person is saying to you.

• Note: it is important do not confuse someone who really wants to help you to overcome a mental disorder with a psychological manipulator.

3. They try to align people against you

Sometimes, the person who exercises gaslighting can go a step further and involve your social circle so that you feel isolated and really think that you have a problem.

• Some of the most common comments are "your friends think the same as me"or"that person knows that you are not right"

4. If someone agrees with you "he is a liar"

Normally, a person cannot control everything that other individuals tell you, so if someone in your environment cares about you and tells you that your partner is manipulating you. With much confidence, said couple will deny it destroying the credibility of your friend or family member with phrases like "don't believe him, he's lying to manipulate you."

5. Directly tells you that you are crazy

The maximum expression of gaslighting has only two words "are you crazy". However, after multiple manipulations, this comment may end up with tear down your mental strengths Until you doubt your own mental capacity.

This phenomenon does not only occur in the couple, in the work environment There are also cases where a co-worker tries to break down the mental stability of a person through the well-known "gas light" method. The objective of this abuse is usually to get your job or to make that person leave the company.

Finally, it is important to comment that the abuse known as gas light it can also be given between friends and even family, so we must know how to detect the alarm signals that can help us to get out of this situation.

How to get out of a situation of psychological abuse?

If you think you are suffering from gaslighting, try to seek help from people outside this emotional abuse, in this way, you can understand that your judgment is not wrong and recover So, trust in your thoughts and ideas.

If you consider it necessary, you can also go to a therapist specialized in psychological abuse and emotional violence to help you overcome gaslighting and you can get out of a toxic relationship.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Gaslighting or gas light according to psychology, we recommend that you enter our category of Intimate partner violence.

1. Abramson, K. (2014). Turning up the Lights on Gaslighting. Philosophical Perspectives, 28(1), 1-30.