A historical review of gaslighting: Tracing changing conceptualizations within psychiatry and psychology

Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation that causes a victim to doubt their sense of reality, usually leading to a loss of agency and emotional and mental instability. The phenomenon was identified over 50 years ago and discourse on the topic was largely confined to psychiatry; however, interest in gaslighting has experienced a resurgence with expansion both in terms of the contexts in which gaslighting is thought to occur as well as disciplines weighing in on the topic. The aim of this article is to offer a historical review of work on gaslighting that tracks how the term has evolved and to identify core features of the phenomena. In doing so we identify points of consensus and tension in the literature. We also differentiate gaslighting from related constructs and conclude by making specific recommendations for the future of scholarship on gaslighting, aligning these proposals with clinical strategies to mitigate its psychological impact in therapeutic practice. • Conceptualizations of gaslighting has changed drastically since the 1960s. • Public and Academic interest in gaslighting is rising exponentially. • The fastest growing body of literature on gaslighting pertains to clinical and healthcare work. • The present work differentiates gaslighting from other related constructs. • Points of agreement and disagreement in the gaslighting literature are identified.