The psychologist explained the ability of gaslighting to question reality

Anyone who trusts the wrong person may encounter gaslighting. Willis Klein, a PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology who was part of a team from McGill University and the University of Toronto, believes that in recent years this technique has become a popular topic of discussion, but it is still insufficiently studied from the point of view of science. This is reported by Science Daily magazine.

Klein is the lead author of an article in which gaslighting is considered as a learning process using the concept of minimizing prediction error (MOS). This concept describes how the mind builds a model of perception of the world around it and based on this predicts the future, adjusts its expectations and reacts to the environment. Until now, gaslighting has been studied mainly from a psychodynamic point of view, but this analytical approach is no longer widely used.

"When you trust someone or love someone, you expect them to behave in a certain way. In our opinion, gaslighters behave atypically, somewhat unexpectedly, and they use this unexpected behavior to guide the education of the people they influence," the specialist explained.

According to Klein, gaslighters behave contrary to human expectations and intend to claim that the reason for surprise is related to the general perception of reality, making them feel "epistemically incompetent." The psychologist clarified that this is repeated until the target of the impact learns the idea that in fact he does not have a sufficient understanding of reality.

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The model is also based on the idea of dependence on other people, in particular, loved ones, in order to form an idea of oneself and reality. Combined with the concept of gaslighting as a learning process, this means that anyone can become a victim of this psychological technique.

"In our model, there is nothing special about the gaslighting facility that would make it particularly vulnerable. In fact, this can happen to anyone, as long as they trust the wrong person," Klein clarified.

The specialist also noted the ability of future research on this topic to show that certain personal characteristics can affect a person's susceptibility to gaslighting, such as attachment characteristics or a history of injury. He expressed the hope that further studies, among other things, will be able to confirm the various components of the model and lead to better support for people who have become victims of gaslighting.

Business psychologist, strategic management consultant, Director of Development, LLC "Together.PRO" Alexander Berezhnoy, in an interview with Izvestia on September 19, called gaslighting one of the most dangerous types of psychological violence, the purpose of which is to destroy the victim's connection with his own reality.

According to him, the task of a gaslighter is to appropriate the power of another person for personal purposes — financial, emotional or career. The specialist emphasized the importance of learning to understand the motives of others and make decisions based on their own needs and values, rather than out of fear or guilt.

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