Keywords

Gaslighting; Manipulative Gaslighting; Epistemic Gaslighting; Social Power; Social Identity; Gas Light

Abstract

In 2007, Robin Stern published The gaslight effect: How to spot and survive the hidden manipulation others use to control your life, highlighting gaslighting as a form of psychological abuse that makes victims question the validity of their perceptions. Since then, gaslighting has primarily been tackled from a psychological perspective. Some sociologists, however, theorize that gaslighting is not simply a psychological issue but a sociological one as well. They argue that gaslighting may take place unintentionally when a perpetrator acts on their biases towards members of other social groups, a concept known as epistemic gaslighting. As a form of intentional abuse, gaslighting has been established to have profoundly negative effects on its victims. However, there is a significant gap in research pertaining to the sociological aspects of gaslighting. This study therefore aims to establish the connections between power, social identity, and gaslighting susceptibility. Given the assumption that gaslighting relies on a power differential, this study uses an online, survey-based format to produce data which preliminarily supports the existence of epistemic gaslighting, and aims to be useful in ultimately linking psychological and sociological views of gaslighting behaviors.

Thesis Completion Year

2024

Thesis Completion Semester

Spring

Thesis Chair

Hubertz, Martha

College

College of Sciences

Department

Psychology

Thesis Discipline

Psychology

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus Access

None

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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