Gas Lighting is Subtle Psychological Warfare

Gas lighting is subtle psychological warfare that occurs in our everyday lives. Gas lighting isn't always severe, but can have severe consequences when all is said and done. The danger for the person being given the gas lighting treatment could come out on the other end with very severe psychological problems if they don't recognize that it is happening. Gas lighting isn't easily recognized though. When someone gas lights us, we can begin to question ourselves.

The term gas lighting came from a stage play turned movie. The movie is about a man who very intentionally attempts to make his wife believe that she is going insane. He does several different things that make her appear to others that she is losing her mind and she begins to feel that she must may be. She eventually finds out what her husband is up to. The point is, he wanted to make her believe that she was going insane. The term has been used ever since in when people use subtle occurrences to make a person think they have lost their minds or need psychological help.

Gas lighting is uncalled for but it happens all the time in domestic abuse cases. It happens in other relationships as well. For example, gas lighting happens in the workplace all the time. The person that is performing the gas light techniques may not realize that is what it is called or that there is even a name for it. The truth is, it is a manipulative way for someone to get their way.

Gas lighting can be anything from being told that you can't do something that you know in your heart you can do to being made to believe that you are hallucinating. It can be your husband purposely starting an argument minutes before leaving for a party with friends and then pretending as though everything is fine when you get there. People see you upset or angry and think that you are mean and nasty. The truth is, your husband wants those people to believe that you are so that he looks like a saint for staying with you. It also serves to make it more understandable when he decides to break off the relationships, which are probably his intentions anyway.

Within the work environment, gas lighting occurs when co-workers or even your boss may be looking for a way to make you look bad in the eyes of others. It might be difficult to distinguish why gas lighting happens in the workplace. It could be in an attempt to get you to quit your job. It could also be an attempt by a co-worker to "take your place". In any case, it happens all the time. For instance, your supervisor might build you up in private for an idea or for a job well-done. When you are in front of others, he/she gives a completely different attitude about your work or your ideas. There could be several reasons for this. It can make you feel like a fool in front of other people as a matter of fact. Why do bosses do that? It is usually because they are trying force you out of your job when they can't legally fire you.

Gas lighting, a manipulative action that causes a great deal of mental damage to it's victim. It happens on a daily basis, in fact, it happens so often that we have come to accept it as normal behavior. It makes you wonder who has the real mental issues. Is it the person who is the victim of someone else's insecurities? Or is it the person who attempts to get something by literally driving someone else insane or into believing that they are insane? Gas lighting someone is beyond normal behavior. It borders on the bizarre. It is psychological warfare on unsuspecting victims that don't deserve the treatment but get it none-the-less.

The worst thing about gas lighting is the person who is victimizing the other person is trusted by the victim. In fact, the trust is very strong and thus the fact that it is being done is nearly undetectable. The gas lighter treats every situation with loving, tender care. For example; Your boyfriend takes you out for a beautiful dinner. When it is time to order dinner, he looks at you strangely when you give the waiter/waitress your order. You ask him what is wrong. He responds with "why are you ordering that?" When you tell him that you like that particular meal, he tells you that you should really expand on your food choices. This may not seem like the manipulative workings of a gas light episode, it is one small part of what can be a very elaborate plan to make you feel as though you are insane. The same can hold true when he attempts to make you feel as though he is having an affair so that you get angry and lose control only to act as though your feelings aren't valid.

Gas lighting can become a very elaborate game. It is nearly undetectable when you don't know what signs to look for. When you are a highly emotional person or you already have self-esteem issues, it is easier for someone to gas light you. Since it is hard to detect, the best thing for people to do is to keep their self-esteem high as possible all the time. When you have high self-esteem, someone who is trying to gas light you won't be successful at their task.