Hey Buddies!
It has been a longggggg time. How are you all doing?
We all blame 2020 for many things and the breakdown it caused in our lives. We all spoke a lot about depression. Gaslighting is one of the deadliest forms to depress someone.
Do you know that gaslighting is the worst form of destruction? Now, what is gaslighting?
The term gaslighting derives from the 1938 play and 1944 film Gaslight, in which a husband manipulates his wife into thinking she has a mental illness by dimming their gas-fueled lights and telling her she is hallucinating.
People experiencing gaslighting often feel confused, anxious, and unable to trust themselves.
It is a form of psychological manipulation that seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or members of a targeted group, making them question their own memory, perception and sanity. It acts like a brainwashing procedure.
It is done using persistent denial, misdirection, contradiction and lying. It attempts to destabilize the victim and delegitimize the victim's belief, and the victim ultimately loses their own sense of perception, identity and self-worth.
Long story short, gaslighting is emotional abuse.
Types:
1. Countering: This describes a person questioning someone’s memories. They may say things such as, “you never remember things accurately,” or “are you sure? You have a bad memory.”
2. Withholding: When someone withholds, they refuse to engage in a conversation. Using this technique may pretend not to understand someone so that they do not respond to them. For example, they might say, “I do not know what you are talking about,” or “you are just trying to confuse me.”
3. Trivializing: This occurs when a person belittles or disregards the other person’s feelings. They may accuse them of being too sensitive or of overreacting when they have valid concerns and feelings.
4. Denial: Denial involves a person pretending to forget events or how they occurred. They may deny having said or done something or accuse someone of making things up.
5. Diverting: With this technique, a person changes the focus of a discussion and questions the other person’s credibility instead. For example, they might say, “that is just another crazy idea you got from your friends.”
6. Stereotyping: An article in the American Sociological Review states that a person using gaslighting techniques may intentionally use negative stereotypes of a person’s gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, nationality, or age to manipulate them. For example, they may tell a female that people will think she is irrational or crazy if she seeks help for abuse.
While anyone can experience gaslighting, it is widespread in intimate relationships and social interactions where there is an imbalance of power.
A person who is on the receiving end of this behaviour is experiencing abuse.
Disturbing, right?
During this lockdown, many people have been affected by gaslighting. With proper knowledge and effort, we can avoid it. Now that we know about the types that a person can be gaslighted, we will come back with signs that a person is being gaslighted and how one can respond to it. Stay tuned!
Until then, you know the drill...
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Next article: 8 Ways to Deal with Gaslighting
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