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My sister in law does this constantly. Whenever we are talking about anything and I express a feeling, pro or con, she will take the opposite side and tell me I don't really mean that because what I really mean is _________. I finally saw through this and decided to challenge her so I kept telling her no I don't mean that and I don't feel that way. "Yes but maybe you really mean....." and then continued with her thoughts that she wanted me to think I thought. I don't know why she does this. But she is very intent on telling me the opposite. I only see her occasionly but I just don't care to talk to her anymore. Im very careful and superficial around her now.
My Brother In Law is like that in that he takes the opposing position on every topic. Over time, I have seen him oppose himself, when necessary. You know, one position on immigration today to replace the one he had 5 years ago. It's like being with someone who plays a master game of one-upmanship.
The psychologist diagnosed me as believing my mother was very much smarter than me and I was harboring all these feelings of not being worthy, insecure, blah blah blah blah.
The FACT was: She was a hairdresser and wore huge hair. It was IN STYLE, hello? Audrey Hepburn? She even used to take me to her beauty school and let me cut mannequins and mess around.
Nothing more.
They're IDIOTS, these people.
I vaguely remember thinking if she was all that smart, she'd be able to help me with the math LOL. Seriously how hard is it to drill someone in "times tables".
Like I said before - THIS degree of hot discussion belongs on the Politics forum.
No. While the element of lying exists, gaslighting isn't just denying you said something. At all. By your definition the entire world gaslights.
Gaslighting is knowingly psychologically manipulating another person into thinking they are crazy/imagining things or that they are somehow defective for their beliefs, memories or what they perceive.
And THAT is what's relevant to this topic with politics/and/or what has been going on in society for a generation or two.
IE: "Check your White Privilege, racist."
IE: Chris Cuomo: "Well if you don't want your young daughter to accept male body parts in the locker room or bathroom - something is wrong with YOU."
Yes he literally tweeted that out.
Or the famous example that "If you're against Obama/policies then you're a racist".
IE Michelle Obama: "Parents don't know how to feed their kids so we're going to force them - at least in schools." LOL she LITERALLY said she was too ignorant to know what foods to feed her family until she became First Lady then the LIGHTBULB went on. HAHAHAH what a crock to cover up the pursuit of creeping government growth and control over people. Well except for say...not allowing soda on SNAP. Because that wouldn't work politically.
See how that works?
This post proves the Psychology forum is exactly the right place for the discussion.
Have you known anyone who has had gaslighting done to them? Would you say that in your observations or experience, you've often seen it done by people who probably have Narcissistic Personality Disorder or Borderline Personality Disorder? It actually is quite evil - one of the things people do to each other in dysfunctional relationships.
I've seen a lot of people do it. It's one of the tools in the box for people who maintain influence and power by keeping everyone around them uncertain, unconfident, fearful, off balance. It's despicable, the sign of a person who cannot lead through respect and affection, and who must instead drive through misery and suffering. My wife used to have a gaslighting boss, a couple in fact, and I lived with observing the results. I don't know what is the diagnosis behind gaslighting: is "miserable pile of pond scum" a registered diagnosis?
I've seen a lot of people do it. It's one of the tools in the box for people who maintain influence and power by keeping everyone around them uncertain, unconfident, fearful, off balance. It's despicable, the sign of a person who cannot lead through respect and affection, and who must instead drive through misery and suffering. My wife used to have a gaslighting boss, a couple in fact, and I lived with observing the results. I don't know what is the diagnosis behind gaslighting: is "miserable pile of pond scum" a registered diagnosis?
Narcissistic Personality Disorder, is one. Maybe Borderline P.D. is another, IDK.
Like I said before - THIS degree of hot discussion belongs on the Politics forum.
No. While the element of lying exists, gaslighting isn't just denying you said something. At all. By your definition the entire world gaslights.
Gaslighting is knowingly psychologically manipulating another person into thinking they are crazy/imagining things or that they are somehow defective for their beliefs, memories or what they perceive.
And THAT is what's relevant to this topic with politics/and/or what has been going on in society for a generation or two.
IE: "Check your White Privilege, racist."
IE: Chris Cuomo: "Well if you don't want your young daughter to accept male body parts in the locker room or bathroom - something is wrong with YOU."
Yes he literally tweeted that out.
Or the famous example that "If you're against Obama/policies then you're a racist".
IE Michelle Obama: "Parents don't know how to feed their kids so we're going to force them - at least in schools." LOL she LITERALLY said she was too ignorant to know what foods to feed her family until she became First Lady then the LIGHTBULB went on. HAHAHAH what a crock to cover up the pursuit of creeping government growth and control over people. Well except for say...not allowing soda on SNAP. Because that wouldn't work politically.
See how that works?
Actually, you are incorrect.
As someone who has experienced gaslighting, which is defined as "manipulat(ing) (someone) by psychological means into questioning their own sanity', one of those methods is by saying or doing something and then denying that it happened at all. I suppose you have never read the book or seen the movie "Gaslight" from which this definition derives?
Seat belts were also an infringement on human rights, I suppose.
Your discussion is inappropriate. Learn to stay within the parameters of a discussion instead of coming to a place with your own ax to grind. I get it, you hate Obama and liberals. Moving on....
I suffered extreme gaslighting before the term was widely known. Meangirls back in the day, mostly in elementary and middle school. They tormented me, and then would deny everything and even insist that I was the mean one. This went on for so many years that I was convinced I was completely insane and had no idea if someone was my friend or not. I actually had no friends until very recently, because I didn't trust myself to know if someone actually liked me or really secretly hated me and was waiting to find a way to hurt me. My parents made it so much worse by constantly telling me it was all in my imagination. I still hate every one of those bullying b****es and it's been almost 50 years since I saw them.
Why are the people who try to politicize the concept of gaslighting the people who seem the most unhinged on other parts of these boards?
Gaslighting is a manipulation tactic designed to make the victim doubt their own perception of reality. My mother (gasp - a card-carrying Republican) is an expert at it. But she screwed up one day in epic fashion. She sent me an email containing a couple sentences that were particularly rude and insulting, if not downright hateful. I quoted them to her word-for-word in a phone call when we were trying to come to terms over our disagreement. I read what she sent me back to her, and she vehemently denied ever having said anything like that and even denied that she would even CONSIDER saying something like that. I informed her I'd read the lines back to her from the email she'd sent me word for word and that she could probably find it in her Sent folder to confirm. Boy, did the subject change pretty fast after that, though not without some rather epic stammering and hemming/hawing.
I think that was the beginning of me realizing that it was not me who had the problem.
I need to make a thread about people who bring politics into every discussion. Something is off in their heads.
Surprised you didn't complain about God.
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