Mental manipulation
Mental manipulation
Gaslighting steadily undermines the victim’s belief in their capacity to discriminate between truth and lies, right and wrong, or to come to understand the reality of things. As a result, the victim develops an unhealthy dependence on the gaslighter in both their thoughts and their emotions. The psychological deception and manipulation technique known as “gaslighting” is sophisticated and harmful, and it is typically employed by a single conspirator, or “gaslighter,” on a single victim over an extended period of time. The victim suffers severe self-esteem loss as a result of this process and becomes dependent on the gaslighter for things like emotional support and acceptance.
The motivation behind this action
Sometimes, the goal of this behaviour is to make the victim lose their mental capacity. This is a phenomenon known in clinical psychology as a form of narcissistic abuse, in which extreme narcissists try to fulfil their pathological need for constant esteem and support (i.e., for narcissistic support), by manipulating weak people into intellectual and emotional slaves while paradoxically despising their victims’ submission.
When did the phrase first appear?
The phrase is derived from the name of the 1938 British theatre novel Gas Light, which went on to become a film of the same name in 1940 in the UK and 1944 in the US.
How is the victim’s mind tricked by the con artist?
Some of the key components of this method of mental manipulation, which may involve the following behaviours, were depicted in these tragedies clearly and reasonably simply. attempting to persuade the victim of the truth of something that may seem weird or dishonourable by nature by vehemently insisting on it or by gathering flimsy and obvious proof. attempting to conclusively refute someone’s claims that they said or did something that was clearly true. the victim’s competing perceptions or feelings are rejected and are thought to be unsatisfactory or unacceptable.
putting people’s expertise in doubt and criticising their motivations if they hold an opinion that differs from that of the deceitful individual. Gradually cut off the victim’s access to outside sources of information and all other avenues for verification. manipulating the victim’s physical environment to make him question the accuracy of his memory or intellect.
The cheating husband, for instance, convinces his wife that she is terrified and that she is only imagining hearing voices in the attic and seeing the dim light of a gas lamp in her home, and the reason for this noise and light was actually the husband getting up looking for her aunt’s missing jewels, as shown in theatrical plays and films, pushing her to the brink of insanity.