10/31/2025
Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which someone makes another person doubt their own perceptions, memories, or understanding of reality.
It often involves:
• Denying or twisting facts (“That never happened—you’re imagining it.”)
• Downplaying emotions (“You’re overreacting.”)
• Rewriting events to make the victim feel confused or at fault.
• Using lies or contradictions to make the target question their sanity or judgment.
The term comes from the 1944 film Gaslight, where a husband manipulates his wife into thinking she’s going insane by secretly dimming the gas lights and denying it when she notices.
