The term “gaslighting” arises from the play and film of the same name in which a man seeks to take over his wife’s inheritance by convincing her she is delusional. Gaslighting is a form of psychological violence that, in its worst forms, is an insidious type of coercive control that is equally as harmful as physical abuse, according to Evan Stark, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University Schools of Public Affairs and Medicine. Further, gaslighting isn’t limited to domestic, gender-based relationships.

In a political context, gaslighting can be described as a manipulation of the perceptions of others for personal gain. Many of the behaviors that come to light in the original play and film, Gaslight, also apply to gaslighting the public. Gaslighting is a repetitive pattern of manipulation that isolates its targets from support because they struggle to explain what’s going on.

In June 2023, Klein, Li, and Wood, from the psychology department of the University of Toronto, conducted a qualitative analysis of survey responses from 65 gaslighting victims. They pinpoint two motivations for gaslighting: avoiding........

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