Last weekend I had the classic Saturday morning experience of watching cartoons with my daughter and hearing “I want that!” at least seven times during each commercial break. It’s glaringly obvious when children are the target of advertising campaigns. Bright colors! Music! Animal mascots! But it’s not as obvious when…
They say that friends are the family you choose. You don’t have to spend any ounce of your time with them, but you want to: You enjoy each other’s company; you support each other through the triumphs and the losses; you really get each other. Or at least that’s what…
There’s a collection of symptoms so common to betrayal it’s become known as Post Betrayal Syndrome. When it comes to gaslighting, it often goes hand in hand with betrayal because the gaslighter is intentionally weakening the self-esteem and resolve of their victim so that they maintain a sense of control,…
Gaslighting: As Emotional Abuse Emotional abuse sabotages someone’s feelings. It leaves the victim confused, unhappy, fearful, and incapable of ending the problem unless they can escape or outsmart the emotional abuser. Gaslighting sabotages the victim’s self-confidence. It leaves them fearful and unable to correct the lies being told to and…
Gaslighting is a form of manipulation and emotional abuse whereby the perpetrator leads one to question their reality, their logic, their intuition—everything they know to be true. This manipulative behavior is observed among friends, family, colleagues… and, of course, romantic couples. So, what does gaslighting look like in a relationship?…
A Comprehensive Look at Gaslighting For a complete and extensive understanding of gaslighting—a dangerous and frightening form of manipulation—pull up a seat and get ready for a lesson from Licensed Clinical Social Worker Sheri Heller. She explains exactly what gaslighting is and how these manipulators pull it off: “Gaslighting is…
Gaslighting is a form of manipulation that makes the victim(s) question their reality. It is employed by master manipulators (who are often abusers or narcissists) to gain more power over the victim. This is often seen in close relationships, such as those between partners, friends, even brother and sister—but gaslighting…
Our favorite television shows just aren’t complete without a beloved couple: there was Corey and Topanga from Boy Meets World; Chandler and Monica from Friends; and, of course, we can’t go without mentioning Jim and Pam from The Office. We often place these couples on a pedestal. We look up…
You’re heading to the car dealership, ready to purchase a 2012 Toyota Highlander. You know that this car is reliable, in your price range, and a great fit for your family. This is exactly what you tell the car salesman who greets you at the doors and asks what he…
