Photo: Colleen Hayes / NBC.

Gaslighting refers to the act of trying to make a person doubt their own feelings, perception, or sanity. How exactly does that work? Why would someone do this? Is this just like any other form of manipulation, or is there something particularly sinister about it?

In thinking through these questions, we have 5 learning outcomes. By the end of this module, you will be able to…

1. Identify some fairly common instances and patterns of gaslighting,
2. Explain why a person might engage in gaslighting,
3. Distinguish gaslighting from other forms of manipulation,
4. Summarize Kate Abramson’s argument on why gaslighting is immoral, and
5. Reflect on the extent to which (if at all) gaslighting is misogynistic.

Read & Annotate This:

Turning Up the Lights on Gaslighting

Context

In her article, Kate Abramson (2014) displays concern about how sexism is ”reinforced… hidden or erased” (p. 3) through pervasive acts of gaslighting. This leads her to start with our normal, though often imprecise, understanding of gaslighting. From there she goes on to explore the psychology of the gaslighter, in order to better understand why they engage in such a manipulative practice. She then uses that to lay out the particular, and indeed grievous, immorality of gaslighting.

I should emphasize that Abramson’ article is also a great example of the conceptual analysis often done in philosophy. This is where the meaning and value of a common concept (like “justice”, “freedom”, “knowledge”, or, in this case, “gaslighting”) is broken down and analyzed. Such analysis often reveals philosophical puzzles and/or surprising implications within our everyday notions that we ought to (re)consider.

Finally, gaslighting is definitely a popular theme in a variety of movies. Abramson mentions some older ones: Gaslight and Pat and Mike. For the cinephile, both films are worth watching. However, if you would like something more recent, you might check out Invisible Man from 2020. I’ve included (in the optional “Curious for More?” section below) an article by Hannah Holway (2020) talking about how that film conveys the horror of gaslighting.

Reading Questions

As you read, keep these questions in mind:

1. How does Kate Abramson define gaslighting? Based on that, is gaslighting rare, perhaps done only by psychopaths? Or is it a more common phenomenon?
2. What sort of examples of gaslighting does Abramson give throughout her article? Have you (or anyone you know) ever experienced anything like these? If so, how did it make you (or the person you know) feel and how did you (or them) respond?
3. What reasons does Abramson give to suggest that those seeking to better understand the perpetuation of sexism should also be concerned with gaslighting?
4. According to Abramson, how is gaslighting a defensive mechanism by the gaslighter? What are they defending themselves against? How does gaslighting exercise that defense?
5. On this account, what exactly is wrong with gaslighting? Why does Abramson suggest that the harms of gaslighting share a lot in common with those of torture?

Although I strongly suggest that you write out brief answers to these questions, you do not have to turn in written responses. You do, however, need to be prepared to answer questions like these on module quizzes and the unit exams.

References

Abramson, K. (2014, December). Turning up the lights on gaslighting. Philosophical Perspectives, 28(1), 59–82.

Holway, H. (2020, December 2). Beyond the Final Girl: The Invisible Man and The Horror of Gaslighting. Talk Film Society. https://talkfilmsociety.com/columns/beyond-the-final-girl-the-invisible-man-and-the-horror-of-gaslighting

Watch This:

Video 1	Video 2
Video 3	Video 4
Video 5	Video 6

Do This:

Module 9 Quiz Due: October 1

Tweets for the Week Due: October 1

Unit 2 Exam Due: October 2

Curious for More? (Optional)

Beyond the Final Girl