The US dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster announced on Monday that their 2022 word of the year is “gaslighting,” which is defined as “psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of her own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one’s emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator.”
In this age of misinformation—of “fake news,” conspiracy theories, Twitter trolls, and deepfakes—gaslighting has emerged as a word for our time. Merriam-Webster said 2022 saw a 1,740 percent increase in lookups for gaslighting, with high interest throughout the year.
A driver of disorientation and mistrust, gaslighting is “the act or practice of grossly misleading someone especially for one’s own advantage.” The term comes from “Gaslight,” the title of a 1938 play and the movie based on that play, the plot of which involves a man attempting to make his wife believe that she is going insane. His mysterious activities in the attic cause the house’s gaslights to dim, but he insists to his wife that the lights are not dimming and that she can’t trust her own perceptions. When gaslighting was first used in the mid 20th century, it referred to a kind of deception like that in the movie.
In recent years, the meaning of gaslighting evolved into something simpler and broader: “The act or practice of grossly misleading someone, especially for a personal advantage.” In this use, the word is at home with other terms relating to modern forms of deception and manipulation, such as fake news.
The idea of a deliberate conspiracy to mislead has made gaslighting useful in describing lies that are part of a larger plan. Unlike lying, which tends to be between individuals, and fraud, which tends to involve organizations, gaslighting now applies in various contexts:
Patients who have felt that their symptoms were inappropriately dismissed as minor or primarily psychological by doctors are using the term “medical gaslighting” to describe their experiences and sharing their stories.—The New York Times, March 28, 2022. The “I’m sorry you feel that way” approach, along with avoiding an argument in lieu of admitting fault, is good old-fashioned gaslighting.—Psychology Today, March 29, 2022
My Committee’s investigation leaves no doubt that, in the words of one company official, Big Oil is “gaslighting” the public. These companies claim they are part of the solution to climate change, but internal documents reveal that they are continuing with business as usual.—Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, chairwoman of the US House Committee on Oversight and Reform, September 14, 2022.
In Russia, the truth became a matter of opinion under a gaslighting strategy implemented by Vladislav Surkov, a former aide to President Vladimir Putin. Surkov, who has a background in the arts, orchestrated a kind of political theater in Russia by dismantling democracy while enhancing its facade. For example, he funded civic forums and human rights NGOs. Then he would quietly support nationalist movements that accuse the NGOs of being tools of “the West,” removing all trust and sowing doubts about all of these organizations at the same time.
In 2017, a CNN opinion writer said President Donald Trump was “‘gaslighting’ all of us” after he denied making several statements he’d made in public. Frida Ghitis said: “After mimicking a disabled reporter and seeing the video used as evidence against him, Trump repeatedly denied it, claiming his opponents should be embarrassed to say he did. “I would NEVER mock disabled. Shame!” With the video easily available, Trump’s argument boiled down to “Who do you trust, me or your lying eyes?”Here’s the ultimate in gaslighting: At a special online summit on November 22, 2021 between leaders of China and Asean to commemorate 30 years of dialogue relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping assured Southeast Asian leaders that China does not seek hegemony and will not bully its smaller neighbors. But just days before the event, two Philippine boats headed for Ayungin Shoal with food supplies for our military forces were blocked and blasted with water by Chinese Coast Guard vessels. Recently, the Chinese coast guard forcibly seized floating debris being towed by the Philippine Navy.
Gaslighting is a wicked tool generally used by abusers in relationships—and by world leaders that specialize in obfuscation and other forms of truth-blurring techniques. The challenge for journalists covering them is how to keep up with all the facts all the time because a gaslighter can make it hard for everyone to find an easy path to the truth.