What is Gaslighting, and How Do You Recognize It? Gaslighting is a subtle but dangerous method of influencing and manipulating others. Gaslighters manipulate their victims’ memories, judgement, and even sanity. In layman’s words, it’s a clever technique of convincing someone that you’re right and they’re wrong, even if that’s not the reality.
People who gaslight distort reality in order to influence the behaviour of others in order to meet their own wants while putting the other person in a weaker position in a relationship. Power-tripping is another term for gaslighting. Gaslighting is made worse by the fact that, if left unchecked, the manipulations can become so intricate and powerful that the person on the receiving end may have difficulty recognising them.
What is Gaslighting, and How Do You Recognize It?
Is it possible that you’ve been gaslighted?
Many people do use gaslighting to purposefully take advantage of others, and we usually conceive of gaslighters as those who are strategically and consciously manipulating others. It’s considered a sort of deliberate emotional abuse.
However, even if it wasn’t the aim, there are situations where gaslighters act in a way that causes individuals to question their perception of reality, lowering their self-esteem and disempowering them. You might be gaslighting someone without even realising it if you aren’t aware of it.
Gaslighting is a form of deception that may occur in any relationship, not just romantic ones. It may happen to family members, friends, and coworkers as well. Here are some warning signals that you could be unintentionally gaslighting someone:
You tell others they’re incorrect when they voice ideas that vary from yours.
It’s common for people to have differing perspectives and reactions to the same event.
Do you find it difficult to keep a potentially damaging viewpoint to yourself just because you believe you know better?
Do you make others frightened to express their disagreements with you? Or do you place them in a situation where it’s difficult for them to respond? If you answered yes to these questions, you’re a gaslighter who uses emotional abuse methods.
You feel that telling a falsehood is harmless.
Most, if not all, of us have used a tiny white lie to get ourselves out of a jam. If you’re continually lying to cover up your faults, you should consider how your lies influence the person you’re lying to.
Have you ever made a promise or made a commitment to someone and then pretended to forget about it?
Or perhaps you denied saying anything about it at all. Have you ever been challenged for anything you did but managed to get away with by lying?
You may believe that lying to get out of a tough circumstance is better or simpler. However, not just in this moment, but in the future, it may cause the person on the receiving end to doubt themselves and what they think to be true.
You have a habit of downplaying other people’s feelings.
When someone is upset by anything you’ve said or done, your first reaction is to tell them they’re being dramatic and to quit making stuff up. This may lead a person to assume that their feelings are unfounded or overwhelming.
If this describes you, you are most likely being gaslighted.
Gaslighting is more harmful than we realise since it extends beyond dismissing other people’s feelings. Telling someone they shouldn’t feel a certain way is known as invalidating. Gaslighting, on the other hand, deceives someone into believing that they do not feel as they do.
Read Also: How to Recognize Gaslighting in Relationships?
Read Also: What Is Gaslighting and How Do You Respond?
