Have you ever been in a situation where you had to confront someone about a mistake you were sure they had made but instead of them admitting their mistake and apologizing sincerely, the situation turned sour? trouble and they bombard you with meaningless excuses and emotionally draining statements. Do you feel guilty and blame all the hurt and damage you have experienced because of them?
You must have noticed that every time you confront them, they never take responsibility for their actions but instead manipulate you into apologizing for misunderstanding them. That distortion of truth is called gaslighting.
Related? Learn more about Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year here.
: What is Gaslighting? Definition, warning signs and treatment
What is Gaslighting?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, gaslighting is “the psychological manipulation of a person over an extended period of time causing the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories.” and often leads to confusion and loss. about confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty about one’s emotional or mental stability, and dependence on the perpetrator.”
Gaslighting is a tactic of emotionally abusing someone, making them doubt their thoughts and perception of reality. The gaslighter may convince the target that the memories they have are invalid because, according to them, they never in fact happened and you are the one overreacting, asserting that whatever they told you are all ‘real truths’.
Doesn’t make sense right? But they try to convince you that it’s true, just because they say so.
They start by challenging your reality through small details, making you admit that you were wrong, you admit because it doesn’t bother you much, and you move on.
The abuser uses this past “victory” to discredit you in the future for their own selfish gain, causing you to question your own memory, thereby succeeding in Enforce the idea in your head that they were always right, are still right, and probably will be. okay, until you realize that they are manipulating you.
The reason this word was chosen as the word for 2022 is because the number of searches for the word gaslighting has increased by 1740%.
Where does the word Gaslighting come from?
- The term originates from the 1938 play “Gaslight,” in which a woman’s husband tries to convince her that she is mentally unstable. He made small changes in her environment, such as dimming the gas lights. He convinces her that she is imagining these things to fulfill his goal of putting her in an asylum so he can win her inheritance.
- The word gaslighting was first used in the mid-20th century and referred to a deception similar to that seen in movies.
- In recent years, the meaning of the word has changed to “the action or practice of blatantly deceiving someone, especially for personal gain.”
In what context is it used?
You can be stunned by anyone, probably
- a romantic partner
- A toxic friend
- parental control
- a boss
- a doctor
- A person can also be overwhelmed by an entire entity, not just an individual.
As Merriam-Webster puts it: “In this age of misinformation—of “fake news,” conspiracy theories, Twitter trolls, and deep fakes—sarcasm has emerged as a word for our times.”
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Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: pagasa.edu.vn