Why Is It Called Gaslighting?
The phrase “gaslighting” originates from a 1938 play by Patrick Hamilton called “Angel Street” in America, which Alfred Hitchcock subsequently turned into the movie “Gas Light.”
In the thriller movie, a cunning spouse tries to make his wife believe she is going crazy by making little adjustments to her surroundings, such as gradually lowering a gas lamp’s flame.
He isolates her from her family and friends, disrupts her surroundings, and convinces her that she is mad. He also abuses and dominates her.
As a result, the wife continuously questions her thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and recollections. She also experiences neurosis, hypersensitivity, and a sense of being out of control, which is exactly what gaslighting is intended to do: leave the victim feeling disoriented and confused of what is real and what isn’t.
Psychologists and counselors started using the term “gaslighting” to describe this kind of emotionally abusive conduct since this movie accurately depicted the poisonous and dominating behaviors used by manipulative people.
