Understanding Gaslighting: A Data-Driven Analysis of Themes, Features, and Effects on Subjective Memory

Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation where victims are led to doubt their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories. Despite the growing popularity of the term and purported harmful implications, empirical efforts to operationalize and define gaslighting remain sparse. This study aimed to define common features and themes of self-reported gaslighting experiences. Young adults (N=250) completed several questionnaires and open-ended prompts relating to gaslighting experiences. Using a variety of natural language processing techniques, we explore the gaslighting construct using a data-driven approach from the perspective of self-reported targets of gaslighting. These data confirm that gaslighting is a type of interpersonal manipulation aimed at making a person feel 'crazy' or doubt their memories. Romantic partners were reported to be the most common perpetrators of gaslighting, and both beneficial (e.g., awareness of manipulative people) and detrimental (e.g., self-doubt) consequences of experiencing gaslighting appear to be long-lasting. Additionally, we found that more severe, frequent, and long-lasting gaslighting experiences are associated with broader subjective memory deficits, even extending to other memories outside of the gaslighting event itself. This study highlights pervasive cognitive and psychological impacts of gaslighting, and underscores the need for further empirical research and informed clinical strategies.