Symposia
Women's Issues
Patti T. Fritz, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor
University of Windsor
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Hayley Proctor, B.A. (she/her/hers)
Undergraduate Student
University of Windsor
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Angela Hormiz, BSC (she/her/hers)
Crisis Line Supervisor
Talk Suicide
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Despite frequent reference to gaslighting on social media, websites, newspapers, and TV, only a handful of empirical studies have been published on this topic. More research is thus needed to ensure that information being shared about gaslighting in the media and popular press is accurate and evidence based. This study thus examined the perceptions of 34 self-identified female students attending a university in Southwestern Ontario, Canada who indicated on a screening question that they had experienced gaslighting in the past. Women were between the ages of 19 and 30 (Mage = 21.4) years, and most (58.8%) identified as White, heterosexual (85.3%), and as native-born English speakers (88.2%). They provided typed-out responses to qualitative questions that were presented to them online via Qualtrics. The questions asked about participants’ perceptions of what gaslighting is (including specific gaslighting behaviors), the contexts in which gaslighting occurs, and participants’ personal experiences with gaslighting. We analysed the data using Braun and Clarke’s (2019) reflexive thematic analysis procedure. We interpreted women’s descriptions of gaslighting as being associated with: (a) manipulative behavior (that is used to achieve a desired outcome) such as convincing targets of a new or different reality from what they were perceiving/experiencing; transferring blame to the target; making targets feel crazy or to doubt themselves/their self-worth, etc. and (b) unhealthy and/or abusive relationships with imbalances of power. Women reported gaslighting primarily occurs in the context of relationships (e.g., romantic partners, parents & children, friends, coworkers), in medical settings, and on social media. When considering personal experiences of gaslighting, we established 4 overarching themes: (a) Shifting blame—"Making me to feel I was the one," (b) Dismissing/discounting me—"Because I was told I was too emotional, dramatic, or overexaggerating," (c) Wearing me down—“Their persistent denial, lying, or explanations made me question what the truth was,” and (d) Moving on—“I’m not putting up with that anymore!” Results fit with research and theory on psychological aggression.