Gaslighting
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse. It involves an increasing frequency of systematically withholding factual information from, and/or providing false information to the subject, having the gradual effect of making the victim 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.
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 using the gas lamps in the attic, 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. Paula believes herself alone in the house when the dimming occurs, unaware that Gregory has entered the attic from the house next door. The sinister interpretation of the change in light levels is part of a larger pattern of deception to which the character Paula is subjected.
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.
[edit] Cultural references
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 a 2007 episode of the soap opera The Young and the Restless, character Drucilla Winters was also a target of gaslighting. Methods included her belongings being repositioned in her home, slashed car tires, prank phone calls, and the apparent witnessing of phantom persons. Crucially, the character was not believed by her friends and family, and thus became isolated in her experience of these events, to the point at which she decided to check herself into a mental institution.
In an episode of Frasier, Fortysomething, Frasier's producer Roz Doyle tries to gaslight Frasier after he forgets her name
In the 2001 movie Amélie, the titular protagonist embarks on a mission to gaslight her local grocer as punishment for his cruelty toward his intellectually impaired assistant, Lucien. Amelie switches his lightbulbs with lower wattage bulbs and replaces his slippers with smaller ones, among other tricks.
On their album Two Against Nature, the band Steely Dan include the song "Gaslighting Abbie" about two people conspiring to torment their room-mate.
In the 2007 movie The Darjeeling Limited, Adrian Brody's character asks Jason Schwartzman's character "Could she be gaslighting you?" when he discovers his ex-girlfriend had placed her perfume into his luggage.
In the 2007 Edward Burns film, Purple Violets, Debra Messing's character implores Selma Blair's character not to let her husband "gaslight her".
The play The Mystery of Irma Vep makes reference to this with a scene where Lady Enid is recounting to her husband all of the strange things that have been happening in the house whereupon the lights begin dimming. When she comments on it, her husband assures her that the lights are not dimming, convincing her that she must be going crazy.
In the episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" called "Chain of Command" Gul Madred attempts to force Captain Picard to say that there are five lights behind him in the torture chamber, when there are actually four lights. He uses this as a method of breaking Picard's mental barrier, but Picard never admits that there are five lights. As he is rescued he defiantly states that he sees four lights, but later confides to Doctor Crusher that he saw five lights.
More recently, the Church of Scientology adopted Gaslighting as part of its 'Fair Game' policy.[citation needed]
[edit] See also
2007 film Darjeeling limited
[edit] References
- Santoro, Victor (June 1994). Gaslighting: How to Drive Your Enemies Crazy. Loompanics Unlimited. ISBN 1-55950-113-8.
- Stern, Dr. Robin (May 2007). The Gaslight Effect: How to Spot and Survive the Hidden Manipulation Others Use to Control Your Life. Broadway. ISBN 978-0767924450.
- George Cukor (director). Gaslight [35 mm]. MGM.
