Gaslighting and its Psychological Impact on the Victim

Gaslighting has become one of the most common forms of abuse in recent times. This term actually originated from a play in 1938 called “gas light”, where the husband manipulated the wife by dimming the gas lights and denying it. The wife initially did not believe in it but gradually started having a misperception of reality believing that she was going insane. This term since than is used to refer to set of manipulative behaviours aiming to do the same.  Most of the victims of this abuse don’t even know that it is a form of abuse they are subjected too. Labelled and categorised only recently it involves a form of emotional abuse where the perpetrator makes the victim believe in something which is not true about him/her. To add on the victim is made to believe that he/she is crazy, mad, forgetful etc. It falls under a category of abuse as it is an intentional act where the perpetrator uses deceptive and manipulative tactics to persuade the victim.  Similar as other forms of abuse it is for a prolonged time, a recurring pattern having deep long lasting psychological impact on the victims. Several day-to-day behaviours are an example of this phenomena, to quote a few, gaslighting may involve questioning someone’s memory, belittling someone in terms of skills, abilities etc, questioning someone’s credibility, creating self-doubt, disregarding feelings of an individual and so on. Prolonged exposure to this creates several psychological issues for the victims. This may not be limited to personal relationships but may also be experienced in professional settings. 

       As the abuse is intentional and recurring in nature it has deep psychological impact on its victims. One of the most significant impacts of gaslighting is the erosion of self-esteem and self-worth of the victim. The victim becomes doubtful of his/her own skills and abilities and starts seeking constant validations from the perpetrator. Sense of worthlessness accompanied with low self esteem and a feeling of “being good for nothing” sets in. Another psychological impact is in the form of cognitive impairment. This is experienced in the form of poor concentration, memory loss, poor decision-making skills, confusion, brain fogging etc leading to impaired day to day functioning. Victims become distrusting of their own thoughts and feelings.

        Another significant impact of gaslighting is in terms of developing chronic mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. This happens due to high levels of stress accompanied by dissonance experienced by one’s own version of reality vs the version of reality made to believe to the victim by the perpetrator. The feeling of helplessness, hopelessness, fear, unease and self-doubt all contribute in the onset of mental health issues. This gradually also leads the victim to experiences of isolation and loneliness. The gaslighter may undermine the credibility of the victim in all his/her relationships by either creating misunderstandings, spreading rumours, creating conflicts etc which further pushes the victim to isolation, loneliness and often no social support.

        In some severe and prolonged cases of gaslighting a victim may develop Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In such cases even when the perpetrator is not present to harm the victim, the victim may be hypervigilant in all her interactions and relationships. To add on the victim may experiences flash backs, intrusive and scary thoughts and sometimes anxiety attacks thinking of the trauma experienced in the past. Coping with these psychological symptoms may take several months and even years for the victims. It may involve reconnecting with family and friends, rebuilding social support system , therapeutic interventions, rebuilding once self-concept, recognizing once self worth, being aware that something is wrong and one needs to set things right and most importantly believing or validating the experiences of the victim so that the gas lighter’s narrative are falsified.

     As a community lets understand the concept, its psychological impact and consequences on the victim and provide support to all those experiencing gaslighting.

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