What majors and minors are offered? Where can I find information about graduate programs? How much is tuition? What financial aid packages are available? What scholarships are available? How do I get to campus? Where can I find job listings? In the U. But what exactly is gaslighting and why is it so harmful? We asked Dr. Amanda L.
Chase Avera , MGA assistant professor of psychology , for her perspective:. In , a film starring Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman was released to worldwide fame.
This film was a remake of a version and tells the story of a man who tries to convince his wife that she is clinically insane by doing strange things around their house while trying to persuade her that nothing is out of the ordinary. For example, he will move pictures, make strange footstep sounds, and most famously dim the gaslights in their home but act as if it is bright inside.
When she asks why these things are happening, he behaves as if life is normal and brings her sanity into question. The modern definition of gaslighting is a psychological manipulation technique in which a person tries to convince someone that their reality is untrue. It is a tactic often used by narcissists to gain control of their intended target. The person performing the gaslighting is attempting to confuse a person into questioning their own beliefs, values, thoughts, and behaviors.
Much like the film, a person who is subjected to repeated attempts of gaslighting can doubt their thoughts, memories, and behaviors which in turn can cause them to become dependent on the abuser and emotionally frazzled. In many cases, gaslighting is considered psychological and emotional abuse.
