Meaning of Gaslighting (What is it, Concept and Definition)

What is Gaslighting (or gaslighting):

It is called as gaslighting or gaslight some kind of psychological abuse in which another person’s perception of reality is manipulated and modified.

That is, whoever carries out the gaslighting It makes the other individual believe that what he remembers and his perceptions are a product of his imagination and not what has really happened.

This term comes from the play Gaslighting (1938) by Patrick Hamilton, which tells the story of a man who tried to convince his wife that she was crazy. To do this, he would disappear certain of her belongings and dim her gas lights, making her believe that they shone with the same intensity as before.

This type of psychological abuse constantly questioned the wife, so she believed he had sanity and memory problems.

The work was such a success that in 1940 it was adapted to film in England and then, in 1944 in the United States, titled Angel Street.

However, currently gaslighting or gaslighting, are part of the clinical terms that refer to different types of psychological abuse such as, for example, brainwashing and bullying.

Specialists have determined that the main purpose of gaslighting is to severely affect the belief system of individuals with different purposes. These cases are very common among romantic relationships, between friends or partners, and family members.

Those who put practice the gaslighting They are usually narcissistic and psychopathic people who tend to manipulate the feelings of others.

Features of the gaslighting

Among the main characteristics of gaslighting that can be mentioned are:

The affected person remembers certain situations or conversations that the abuser denies. The abuser tries to convince the victim that he is wrong and that is why he confuses things. Psychological abuse begins to generate doubts in the victim. Victims constantly experience high levels of stress and feel unhappy. The abuser never takes the blame, on the contrary, he is a victim of others. The victim’s self-esteem is negatively affected. .

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