truly I see the term "gaslighting" is getting more popular these days. I looked it up on wikipedia and was thinking about how this applies to things that I have seen.
According to the definition:
Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which a person or a group covertly sows seeds of doubt in a targeted individual, making them question their own memory, perception, or judgment, often evoking in them cognitive dissonance and other changes such as low self-esteem. Using denial, misdirection, contradiction, and misinformation, gaslighting involves attempts to destabilize the victim and delegitimize the victim's beliefs. Instances can range from the denial by an abuser that previous abusive incidents occurred to the staging of bizarre events by the abuser with the intention of disorienting the victim.
I have seen this before on various internet message boards when "skeptics" go after believers in the paranormal. They use bully techniques to hammer the believer into submission, until the believer even begins to doubt their own personal experiences. I dont mind rational skepticism, but the vitriolic vehemence displayed by some of these arrogant skeptics can truly be downright disgusting.
According to the definition:
Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which a person or a group covertly sows seeds of doubt in a targeted individual, making them question their own memory, perception, or judgment, often evoking in them cognitive dissonance and other changes such as low self-esteem. Using denial, misdirection, contradiction, and misinformation, gaslighting involves attempts to destabilize the victim and delegitimize the victim's beliefs. Instances can range from the denial by an abuser that previous abusive incidents occurred to the staging of bizarre events by the abuser with the intention of disorienting the victim.
- Withholding information from the victim;
- Countering information to fit the abuser's perspective;
- Discounting information;
- Using verbal abuse, usually in the form of jokes;
- Blocking and diverting the victim's attention from outside sources;
- Trivializing ("minimising") the victim's worth; and,
- Undermining the victim by gradually weakening them and their thought processes.
I have seen this before on various internet message boards when "skeptics" go after believers in the paranormal. They use bully techniques to hammer the believer into submission, until the believer even begins to doubt their own personal experiences. I dont mind rational skepticism, but the vitriolic vehemence displayed by some of these arrogant skeptics can truly be downright disgusting.
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