After interning for four weeks at the EVE, a domestic violence shelter in Marietta, Ohio, this past J-term, I was exposed to group counseling sessions and the term gaslighting. After researching the epidemiology of gaslighting and domestic violence, three apparent gaps emerged for further research: How does the victim recognize the cycle of abuse?; How does the screening process work?; How can we better define gaslighting in order to educate the general public?
The methods included 4 weeks of observation at a domestic violence shelter, a scholarly literature review, and informal discussions with psychologists. Therefore, I was able to refine a definition of gaslighting to identify a cycle of psychological abuse that affects the victim’s ability to identify manipulation and abuse.
The results display that there is a cycle of psychological abuse and gaslighting occurring today. First, there is an unequal presence of power dynamics, followed by the use of fabrication as a form of control. Next, the victim replaces fabricated information to make daily decisions and alters their theory of judgement. As a result, the victim becomes more dependent on the abuser. Thus, the cycle of recognizing abuse and the recovery process is delayed, sometimes up to a decade or longer, as witnessed at my internship.
After speaking with psychologists and reviewing relevant literature, we can amend gaslighting at four levels by adopting the concept of a growth mindset. A growth mindset, in opposition to a fixed mindset, is the belief that setbacks are opportunities and effort as the path to mastery. Pushing this concept at the personal, professional, institutional, and societal level will result in multiple positive externalities.
My experience at the EVE allowed me to grasp the reality that is the scope of psychological abuse and the evident cycle that detracts away from the recovery process. This will be essential knowledge to public and preventative health as mental illness is on the rise. It is pertinent that we understand ingrained cycles to ensure a recovery process is not delayed.
Author: Maggie McCutcheon
Faculty Advisors: Cameron Hay-Rollins, Department of Anthropology, and Paul Flaspohler, Department of Psychology
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