04/26/2024

How to Deal with the Three Levels of Gaslighting

While opinions differ on what 'gaslighting' is, it exists and can be traumatic

Many of us differ on what counts as gaslighting — the form of emotional abuse and manipulation in which one person attempts to bend the reality of another. In gaslighting, the target is left feeling confused or even insane, as exquisitely dramatized in the 1944 movie "Gaslight."

Gaslighting was Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year in 2022, with a 1,740 percent increase in the number of times it was searched. The term's increased popularity has raised awareness of its effect on our relationships and has prompted confusion over what constitutes gaslighting.

Many disagreements come down to severity: Either someone's behavior appears too abusive or not abusive enough to be gaslighting. As psychologists, we have heard versions of these different understandings of gaslighting from our patients.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.