Gaslighting and Interpersonal Relationships: Systematic Review

Abstract

Gaslighting is a manipulation technique that makes the perpetrator doubt the mind of the victim, questions the perception of reality, and makes the person think that they are crazy. Although gaslighting is thought to be a marriage syndrome, gaslighting can occur not only in marriages but also in all relationships. The purpose of this review study is to systematically compile the studies on gaslighting and relationships, to reveal what kind of relationships gaslighting is seen and what its outputs are. Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane Library, TRDizin, and Web of Science databases were used in the research. The systematic review was carried out according to the PRISMA criteria. The terms "gaslighting", "gaslight" and "relationship" were used as keywords in Turkish and English to be scanned in databases. 97 studies were accessed from the databases, 31 studies were viewed and 17 of them were included in the study. Most of the studies were conducted in the USA. The study findings showed that gaslighting can occur in many different areas such as health, politics, and romantic and social relationships. It has been seen that the personality of the victim and the perpetrator, partner addiction, and the balance of power in the relationship are the factors that affect gaslighting. In addition, it has been found in the literature that there are a very limited number of studies on gaslighting. Especially in Turkish literature, quantitative or qualitative study findings directly addressing people who have been exposed to gaslighting have not been found. The reason for this was thought to be related to the fact that a scale study on gaslighting has not yet been carried out in Turkiye.

Keywords

• gaslighting
• emotional abuse
• manipulation
• interpersonal relationship