How Authourity Bias and Gaslighting Work

 

1. Gaslighting is psychological manipulation involving denial, distortion, or trivialization of someone's experiences, making them doubt their perception of reality, emotions, or sanity, often for control or harm. Authority bias is a tendency to trust and defer to perceived authorities or experts in decision-making and judgment. The term "gaslighting" originates from the 1938 play "Gas Light" and its subsequent film adaptations, where a husband manipulates his wife's reality to make her doubt her sanity.

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   above: Ingrid Bergman in 'Gaslight' 1944

3. Authority bias and Gaslighting are distinct psychological mechanisms, but they can sometimes be intertwined when one person uses their perceived authority to manipulate another person's perception of reality.

   Gaslighting can be more potent when the perpetrator holds a position of authority or trust in the victim's life. When an authority figure engages in gaslighting, the victim may be even more inclined to doubt their own perceptions because of the inherent trust they place in the authority. An authority figure, such as a supervisor, coach, or parent, uses their position to manipulate the victim's reality. hey may employ gaslighting tactics by denying their own actions, invalidating the victim's emotions, or distorting the truth. The victim, due to their respect or trust in the authority figure, may be more susceptible to believing the gaslighter and doubting their own experiences.

   A combination of authority bias and gaslighting can make it particularly challenging for the victim to recognize and break free from the manipulative dynamics.

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5. It's essential for individuals to be aware of both mechanisms and to seek support and validation from trusted sources when they suspect they are being gaslighted, especially by someone in a position of authority.

6. Authority bias operates on the premise that people generally assume those in positions of authority possess knowledge, expertise, and intentions aligned with the greater good. As a result, individuals may unquestioningly follow their directives or accept their opinions as valid. Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which one person seeks to undermine another person's perception of reality, making them doubt their own thoughts, feelings, memories, or sanity. It involves a pattern of deceptive and often abusive behaviour.

7. Gaslighting typically involves a perpetrator repeatedly denying, contradicting, trivializing, or distorting the victim's experiences and feelings. This can make the victim feel confused, anxious, and uncertain about their own understanding of events, leading them to question their sanity or judgment. Gaslighting might involve someone telling their partner that they are "crazy" for thinking a certain way, even when their concerns are valid. It can also include a person consistently denying that they said or did something hurtful, causing the victim to doubt their own memory.

8. If you feel you are prone to these a Coach might be able to help.

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