Gaslight

From Feminist SF Wiki
Revision as of 20:38, 26 February 2007 by Ide Cyan (talk | contribs) (meaning of the term)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

To gaslight someone is to make her think she is crazy, for instance by modifying her environment, denying the modifications, and invalidating her perceptions, even though they are accurate.

The term comes from the 1940s movies that used this plot device.

It usually refers to the plot device wherein someone deliberately does this to a character, and classified as psychological abuse, but the effects of living in an oppressive society in which the dominant point of view doesn't match the oppressed's point of view, and the oppressors invalidate the perceptions of the oppressed, even without realising they're doing it, are much the same.


See also: women and madness.


External Links