Gaslighting

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Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse. It uses persistent denials of fact which, as they build up over time, make the victim progressively anxious, confused, and less able to trust his or her own memory and perception. A variation of gaslighting, used as a form of harassment, is to subtly alter aspects of a victim's environment, thereby upsetting his or her peace of mind, sense of security, etc.

Gaslighting is a common tactic/symptom of some mental disorders such as Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), and other Personality Disorders. People having BPD will use gaslighting (conciously or unconciously) along with a wide variety of psychologically manipulative/abusive tactics to fend-off criticism of their own actions that they deem too painful to accept responsibility for. (See Denial). However, there are a variety of reasons, other than gaslighting, why people suffering with these disorders may make untrue statements (and authentically believe them to be true) such as confabulation and dissociation. These reasons are not considered gaslighting by virtue of their not being intentional.

This technique is also supposed to have been used by the Manson Family during their "creepy crawler" burglaries during which nothing was stolen, but furniture in the house was rearranged. [1]

The term was coined from the 1940 film Gaslight and its 1944 remake in which changes in gas light levels are experienced several times by the main character. The classic example in the film is the character Gregory uses the gas lamps in the loft, causing the rest of the lamps in the house to dim slightly; when Paula comments on the lights' dimming, she is told she is imagining things. The sinister interpretation of the change in light levels is part of a larger pattern of deception to which the character Paula is subjected.

Similar events have been depicted more recently in soap operas. In Coronation Street in 2003, con-man and murderer Richard Hillman gaslighted Audrey Roberts to ensure that no one would believe her suspicions about his illegal activities. In Neighbours, Elle Robinson drove Max Hoyland crazy after he caused her brother's death in a car accident. Elle stole his car, kidnapped his son Charlie, stole his football tickets, and ordered alcohol in his name. The result was that Max's friends and family, and finally Max himself, believed that he was forgetting things and losing his grip on reality.

In the 2001 movie Amélie, the titular protagonist embarks on a mission to gaslight her local grocer as punishment for his cruel treatment of an intellectually impaired assistant. Amelie switches his lightbulbs with lower wattage bulbs and replaces his slippers with smaller ones, among other tricks.

[edit] References

• Santoro, Victor (June 1994). Gaslighting: How to Drive Your Enemies Crazy. Loompanics Unlimited. ISBN 1-55950-113-8. 
• George Cukor (director). Gaslight [35 mm]. MGM.