Results: Merriam-Webster picks its word of the year: Gaslighting
Published on 12/05/2022
Merriam-Webster, America's oldest dictionary publisher, has just chosen "gaslighting" as its word of the year. Searches on its website for the word have spiked by 1,740% in 2022, according to the company. Gaslighting derives its origins from Hamilton's Victorian-era play set in London about a middle-class marriage based on lies and deceit. Lead character Jack Manningham seeks to convince his wife Bella that she is going insane, including by saying she is imagining the dimming of the gas light in their home. -BBC News
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Merriam-Webster dictionary defines gaslighting as "psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one's emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator." Have you heard the term gas lighting prior to this survey?
Yes
69%
1930 votes
No
31%
870 votes
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"In this age of misinformation - of 'fake news', conspiracy theories, Twitter trolls, and deep fakes - gaslighting has emerged as a word for our time," Merriam-Webster said. As Merriam-Webster notes, while the term referred primarily to psychological manipulation in the 20th Century, its modern use is driven by "the vast increase in channels and technologies used to mislead" people, especially in personal and political contexts. Do you consider fake news or conspiracy theories to be "gaslighting"? Yes
45%
1273 votes
No
19%
532 votes
Undecided
36%
995 votes
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Have you ever been gaslit before? Yes
27%
765 votes
No
47%
1316 votes
Undecided
26%
719 votes
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Gaslighting is actually a far more complex form of psychological manipulation than just lying or disagreeing. An argumentative person trying to get you to change your mind in the here and now or lying to you is not necessarily gaslighting you. "Gaslighting is a deliberate and complex means of intentionally controlling an individual, carried out over an extended time," says Dr. Monica Vermani, a clinical psychologist in Toronto. Do you think the term "gaslighting" has been misused in today's society? Yes
34%
949 votes
No
19%
537 votes
Undecided
35%
974 votes
Not Applicable
12%
340 votes
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