To trick or control someone by making them believe that their memories or beliefs about something are wrong, especially by suggesting that they may be mentally ill: She had no memory of the incident and thought he was trying to gaslight her.
a few examples of gaslighting in different scenarios:
- Relationship Context:
- Scenario: Sarah confronts her partner, Tom, about a hurtful comment he made during an argument.
- Tom’s Response: “I never said that. You’re just being overly sensitive. You’re always imagining things.”
- Explanation: Tom is denying Sarah’s reality and suggesting that she’s misremembering or overreacting, making her doubt her own perception.
- Workplace Context:
- Scenario: Alex tells his boss, Maria, that he didn’t receive an important email about a project deadline.
- Maria’s Response: “I sent that email weeks ago. If you didn’t get it, it’s your fault. You always forget things. Maybe you need to be more organized.”
- Explanation: Maria is making Alex question his memory and capabilities, leading him to doubt his own competence.
- Family Context:
- Scenario: A teenager, Emily, tells her parents that she feels they are too controlling and that it’s affecting her mental health.
- Parent’s Response: “We’re not controlling; you’re just being dramatic. You’ve always been difficult. Maybe you should see someone about that.”
- Explanation: The parents are dismissing Emily’s feelings and attributing them to her being “dramatic,” making her doubt her own feelings and mental state.
- Friendship Context:
- Scenario: Mark reminds his friend, John, about a promise John made to help him move this weekend.
- John’s Response: “I never said that. You must be confusing me with someone else. You always get things mixed up.”
- Explanation: John is denying the promise he made, causing Mark to question his memory and whether the conversation even happened.
- Medical Context:
- Scenario: Jane tells her doctor about her ongoing symptoms and how they’re affecting her daily life.
- Doctor’s Response: “Your tests are normal, so it’s all in your head. You’re just stressed out. Maybe you need to relax more.”
- Explanation: The doctor dismisses Jane’s symptoms as imaginary or stress-related, causing her to doubt her own experience and health concerns.
In each of these examples, the person doing the gaslighting is trying to make the other person doubt their own perceptions, memories, or feelings, which can lead to confusion and self-doubt.