Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse where someone tries to make you question your own memories, sanity or perception of reality. In some cases it’s done unintentionally. Perhaps your loved one has a substance abuse problem, and can’t remember things they’ve said or done. Sometimes people have repressed things themselves, or are in denial, and try to convince you there’s nothing wrong with them, but that it’s you who misremembered.
In some cases it’s done intentionally through manipulation.
This article will be updated with further research and sources soon.
Sources
DEVELOPING THE COVERT TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE SCALE (COTES): A RETROSPECTIVE EARLY PSYCHOSOCIAL TRAUMA ASSESSMENT TOOL
Tiffany E. Vastardis PhD, LMHC, CCTP, CMHIMP
Clinical Education Specialist • Florida Residential Clinical Training Liaison • Mental Health Researcher • Licensed Psychotherapist • Clinical Trauma Specialist • Integrative Medicine Practitioner
Gaslighting
Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse that involves manipulation in the
name of causing another person to question his or her own memories, sanity, or
perceptions of reality (Kivak, 2017). The term became of relevance within the therapeutic
literature during the 1980s (Abramson, 2014), though scholarly research relating to the
topic is elusive. Still yet, gaslighting finds its applications in measures of intimate partner
psychological abuse, such as Gottman and Gottman’s (2009) Gottman Emotional Abuse
Questionnaire (EAQ). While the conceptualization of the act of gaslighting is most often
exclusive to intimate partner pairing, it can be extrapolated that the same maneuvering
can be applied to any social context, including that of which is familial and/or relates to
household dynamics. The mind-altering impact of gaslighting can generate a sense of
traumatic betrayal and a loss of interpersonal power. Additional outcomes include
extreme expressions of pathology; namely, anxiety, panic, and in some cases, delusional
thinking (Thomas, 2017).
