Category: Women's Issues
Patti Fritz, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor
University of Windsor
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Professor of Psychology
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Patti Fritz, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor
University of Windsor
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Emma Getty, B.S. (she/her/hers)
Yorkville University
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Erienne Cookson, B.A. (she/her/hers)
University of Windsor
LaSalle, Ontario, Canada
Reference to gaslighting, a “form of emotional manipulation in which the gaslighter tries (consciously or not) to induce in someone the sense that their reactions, perceptions, memories, and/or beliefs are not just mistaken, but utterly without grounds or crazy” (Abramson, 2014, p. 2), has grown widely in recent years. In fact, Merriam-Webster deemed gaslighting the word of the year for 2022 given that there was a 1740% increase in searches for the term during 2022 (Huebeck, 2022). Despite its increased popularity in the media and popular press, little empirical research has been conducted on the topic. There is thus a desperate need to build the empirical literature on gaslighting. The current symposium aims to begin to address this need.
In the first talk, Fritz and colleagues provide descriptions of female university students’ perceptions of what gaslighting is and the contexts and/or situations in which it is experienced as well as participants’ accounts of their own personal experiences with gaslighting. In the second talk, Getty and colleagues speak to women’s experiences of medical gaslighting, or the dismissal, minimization, or ignoring of women’s physical/bodily symptoms and lived experiences with illness. Finally, in the third presentation, Cookson and Fritz discuss gaslighting experiences that occur in the context of women’s unwanted sexual experiences. All three presenters will consider the following in their talks: (a) the role of intersectionality, (b) dynamics of power and control between the gaslighters and their targets, and (c) and gaslighting targets’ emotional, cognitive, and behavioural responses to the gaslighting, including responses reflecting resilience and empowerment, where applicable. This symposium will contribute sorely needed information about women’s experiences with gaslighting across a number of contexts and situations and will begin to build the empirical literature on this prevalent and highly discussed and popularized phenomenon.