GAS (Goal Attainment Scaling in Rehabilitation), GAS-light, and gaslighting.

[Dx Revision Watch]

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/cicelysaunders/about/people/academic/turner-stokesl

"[Prof Lynne Turner-Stokes] qualified in Medicine in 1979 and after accrediting in Rheumatology and Rehabilitation in 1992, she was appointed as consultant to set up a new Regional Hyperacute Rehabilitation Unit (RHRU) at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow."

So, she's neither a psychologist nor a psychiatrist.

 

[Sly Saint]

• The New York Times first used the common gerund form, gaslighting, in 1995, in a Maureen Dowdcolumn. However there were only nine additional uses in the 20 years to follow.[5]
• The American Dialect Society (ADS) recognized the word "gaslight" as the "Most Useful" new word of the year in 2016.[6]
• Oxford University Press named "gaslighting" as a runner-up in their list of the most popular new words of 2018.[7]

I thought the term gaslighting originated from the 1944 film 'Gaslight'?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BICqcEvzhVw

 

[Dx Revision Watch]

I thought the term gaslighting originated from the 1944 film 'Gaslight'?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BICqcEvzhVw

It does.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaslighting

The term is derived from the title of the play and films entitled Gas Light which are stories of a husband who uses trickery to convince his wife that she is insane in order to steal from her.[4][1]

Gaslight/gaslighting was a largely an obscure or esoteric term until more recently when it broadly seeped into the American lexicon.

• "Gaslighting" once referred to extreme manipulation that could induce mental illness or justify commitment to a psychiatric institution. It is now used more generally[1] in a non-literal sense and often for rhetorical or vivid effect. The term is now simply defined as to make someone question their reality.[2]
• The New York Times first used the common gerund form, gaslighting, in 1995, in a Maureen Dowd column. However there were only nine additional uses in the 20 years to follow.[5]
• The American Dialect Society (ADS) recognized the word "gaslight" as the "Most Useful" new word of the year in 2016.[6]
• Oxford University Press named "gaslighting" as a runner-up in their list of the most popular new words of 2018.[7]

[Edited to add extract from Wikipedia]

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

So, she's neither a psychologist nor a psychiatrist.

Indeed. She is a physician who specialised in rheumatology but was attracted to the rehabilitation side (in those days we had dual training in 'R & R') having decided that research into lymphocytes (her PhD) was a waste of time. She was a trainee in out department, probably 1986-92.

I suspect she may have got involved in the ME guideline as a result of people looking for rehab experts to set up treatment for LongCovid. She thinks we need more rehab and maybe sees ME as a focus for calling for more rehab with less stringent evidence assessment.

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

I thought the term gaslighting originated from the 1944 film 'Gaslight'?

I doubt the film had anyone talking about gaslighting.

The Wizard of Oz was 1939 but 'Friends of Dorothy' appeared in the 1950s it seems.

 

[Sly Saint]

I doubt the film had anyone talking about gaslighting.

The Wizard of Oz was 1939 but 'Friends of Dorothy' appeared in the 1950s it seems.

"In the 1960’s, gaslighting became a term to describe manipulating someone’s perception of what is real."
"
Disputes are Escalated if Gaslighter is Challenged
Gaslighting tactics will escalate if you attempt to call them out on the lies they are telling. They will start to come up with evidence to prove they are right about your inferiority and uselessness. They will refute the evidence. The gaslighter will deny, blame, sow doubt, and add more false claims. You will become so confused that you don’t know what’s right from wrong anymore."

The Gaslighter Will Give You False Hope
In gaslighter abuse, they will treat you with superficial kindness and remorse from time to time. This is to give you false hope in the relationship. You might start to think things with them aren’t so bad and believe things could get better. This mildness is actually part of their plan to manipulate you. You will be off-guard which allows them to begin the next stage of their gaslighting abuse. Know this too, they are reinforcing the codependent relationship.

Total Domination and Control
For a narcissistic gaslighter, their main goal is to totally dominate and control you. When they can do this, they are able to take advantage of you with no consequence. Gaslighters can do this to a whole society. The lies that they tell about you will keep you insecure, in doubt, and afraid.

https://www.northpointrecovery.com/blog/gaslighting-examples-effects-confront-abuse/

hmm this variety of gaslighting all sounds a little too familiar (not to me personally but the whole ME community)

 

[dave30th]

Gaslight/gaslighting was a largely an obscure or esoteric term until more recently when it broadly seeped into the American lexicon.

it had been around but once the Trump presidency started, everyone in US began using the term "gaslighting"

 

[dave30th]

I doubt the film had anyone talking about gaslighting.

The Wizard of Oz was 1939 but 'Friends of Dorothy' appeared in the 1950s it seems.

I always wondered how that "friends of Dorothy" thing came about. Speculation has been about Wizard of Oz as the inspiration, but not sure if that's been proven.

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

it had been around but once the Trump presidency started, everyone in US began using the term "gaslighting"

Once source suggests that before Trump the term was mostly used by psychologists and sociologists

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

I always wondered how that "friends of Dorothy" thing came about. Speculation has been about Wizard of Oz as the inspiration, but not sure if that's been proven.

The Wikipedia entry makes it look pretty plausible, with Judy Garland fans calling themselves Friends of Dorothy in the 1950s. The intriguing thing is that the original book seems to have some gay and Bi double entendre: 'some queer friends' 'some people go both ways', but the article remains sceptical.

 

[JohnTheJack]

"Gaslighting" is the new "cupcake".

100%

(As they say now.)

 

[rvallee]

This seems unnecessarily offensive to cupcakes, which are made of 100% yumminess.

 

[BurnA]

100%

(As they say now.)

You nailed it!


(as they say now)

 

[Dx Revision Watch]

This seems unnecessarily offensive to cupcakes, which are made of 100% yumminess.

Thank you for clarifying the quote came from Twitter and not from me.
Here's a proper piece of

 

[FMMM1]

Maybe Turner-Stokes thought she was being funny, like Esther Crawley and co obviously did with this

Yea but if you were asked to provide the title then ----
How to build a career out of scamming the public into paying for flawed research --- muppets indeed i.e. the public/public representatives/system which continues to fund this crap.

 

[chrisb]

When this issue first arose I urged caution. My view was not widely accepted but it seemed clear that the doctors were referring to themselves, ironically, and jokingly, as Muppets. It may have been unwise but it was no hanging offence. They say "a day with the muppets". It was the doctors who were to be present, not the patients.

I had a certain sympathy with the doctors because I had, some time before that, referred to BPS proponents as Muppets. I doubt whether they had seen it, but I make no claims to being an original thinker and it seems quite likely that such terminology was not uncommon.

 

[Barry]

I've never read this book and never want to, but I heard of it a long time back. As I understand it is a how-to book of gaslighting, as per original meaning from the film, to drive people to doubt their own sanity, and over time lose their sanity.

Amazon product ASIN 1559501138
NOTE: If mods decide best this not posted, then I am happy to delete or it be removed.

 

[Barry]

I thought the term gaslighting originated from the 1944 film 'Gaslight'?

Correct.

 

[Barry]

I doubt the film had anyone talking about gaslighting.

No, you are wrong on that. That is exactly where the common usage comes from, because - although the common usage meaning has changed a bit - it was originally about predatory people using sh*tty mind games to "passively" abuse people. It's meaning has softened a bit now to often simply meant people twisting the truth to their own ends, without due regard for it's effect on others.

e.g. I someone goes into their office every day, and find things subtly shifted around but know they did not do it, yet someone they trust insists it could only have been them that did it, day in day out. And many many other such things.

The film is where the name for that kind of behaviour originated from, I'm sure.

"Secret Smile" by Nicci French is a psychological thriller that has it off to a tee.

 

[Dx Revision Watch]

No, you are wrong on that. That is exactly where the common usage comes from, because - although the common usage meaning has changed a bit - it was originally about predatory people using sh*tty mind games to "passively" abuse people. It's meaning has softened a bit now to often simply meant people twisting the truth to their own ends, without due regard for it's effect on others.

e.g. I someone goes into their office every day, and find things subtly shifted around but know they did not do it, yet someone they trust insists it could only have been them that did it, day in day out. And many many other such things.

The film is where the name for that kind of behaviour originated from, I'm sure.

"Secret Smile" by Nicci French is a psychological thriller that has it off to a tee.

I can't speak for Jo Edwards, but what he may have meant is that although the term "gaslighting" originated from the title of the film "Gas Light", the film, itself, did not lead to people in the late 30s and early 40s familiar with the film's story talking about "gaslighting" as a concept.

I expect he will clarify.