Psychiatria pre prax 1/2025
How does gaslighting manifest itself in interpersonal relationships?
The concept of gaslighting has recently gained widespread attention. Merriam-Webster reported that in 2022, lookups for gaslighting increased by 1740%, propelling it to the status of the 2022 Word of the Year. Gaslighting is a form of manipulation where a person seeks to sow seeds of doubt, hoping to make their partner question their own memory, perception of reality, and sanity. It includes using persistent denial, misdirection, contradiction, and lying, in attempts to destabilize the other person and her/his beliefs. Gaslighting is assumed to be widespread and extremely harmful, despite not being well understood. Detailed research of gaslighting in interpersonal relationships (including romantic ones) is needed for both theoretical and practical reasons. Namely, the psychological consequences of gaslighting are described in detail in the literature, for instance, depression, anxiety, loss of self-esteem, and feelings of being ‘crazy’. The aim of this article is to inform about the phenomenon of gaslighting, to describe its types and stages, and how the phenomenon manifests itself in interpersonal relationships. Better understanding of gaslighting and studying the mechanisms underlying the psychological consequences of gaslighting would contribute to adequate help for target persons (gaslightees), if therapy is needed.
Keywords: gaslighting, relationships, interpersonal, consequences
