Have you heard of Gaslight? This term that comes from English means a situation of manipulation, where someone practices violence in a subtle way. In these cases, it may even be that the aggressor passes himself off as the victim, but it's all a game of narratives. To understand more, check here the main signs of manipulation in a relationship.
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Main features of Gaslight
Gaslight can happen in all types of relationships, that is, both in friendship and dating relationships. However, in fact there is a greater presence of this type of manipulation in marital relationships or companionship in general. After all, many of Gaslight's strategies appear in cases of suspected infidelity.
Aggressor blaming the victim
In many cases of cheating in monogamous love relationships, the cheater will seek to justify his cheating on the other's attitude. However, it is always important to remember that every betrayal is the result of an individual decision, so that the blame cannot be passed on to anyone else, although forgiveness is also possible.
Aggressor tries to impersonate victim
In the same way that there is an attempt to transfer the blame to the victim, the aggressor who practices Gaslight also tries to present himself as the accused. Thus, it is common for him or her to feign suffering and present a series of particular pains that, once again, do not justify acts of betrayal or similar.
In this case, it is common for the real victim to even develop a certain feeling of guilt or remorse for something that was not done by him. This would then be one of the main characteristics of Gaslight and which unfortunately are very common in marital relationships.
Aggressor points out “exaggeration”
Nothing is more common for an abuser who practices Gaslight than to accuse the victim of overreacting. It is, therefore, a clear attempt to try to minimize his achievement and consider his decision as something common, when it is not. Here, it will be necessary to remain very convinced of your conclusions so as not to be really deceived.