Power & Control

Have you ever been told that you are “too nice” and were confused by what that meant?  Aren’t you supposed to be nice to people?  The obvious answer is yes. But how nice is too nice?  When you perform an act of kindness for someone, it gives you a sense…

When one is hurt by the world—initially by our parents or caretaking environment—it is a natural human reaction to try to control our external environment. Having a controlling personality is not considered to be a personality disorder; however, contemporary psychodynamic theory and practice see DMS-V personality disorders as being environmental…

They say that friends are the family you choose. You don’t have to spend any ounce of your time with them, but you want to: You enjoy each other’s company; you support each other through the triumphs and the losses; you really get each other. Or at least that’s what…

There’s a collection of symptoms so common to betrayal it’s become known as Post Betrayal Syndrome. When it comes to gaslighting, it often goes hand in hand with betrayal because the gaslighter is intentionally weakening the self-esteem and resolve of their victim so that they maintain a sense of control,…

Gaslighting: As Emotional Abuse Emotional abuse sabotages someone’s feelings. It leaves the victim confused, unhappy, fearful, and incapable of ending the problem unless they can escape or outsmart the emotional abuser. Gaslighting sabotages the victim’s self-confidence. It leaves them fearful and unable to correct the lies being told to and…

Gaslighting is a form of manipulation and emotional abuse whereby the perpetrator leads one to question their reality, their logic, their intuition—everything they know to be true. This manipulative behavior is observed among friends, family, colleagues… and, of course, romantic couples. So, what does gaslighting look like in a relationship?…

A Comprehensive Look at Gaslighting For a complete and extensive understanding of gaslighting—a dangerous and frightening form of manipulation—pull up a seat and get ready for a lesson from Licensed Clinical Social Worker Sheri Heller. She explains exactly what gaslighting is and how these manipulators pull it off: “Gaslighting is…

Gaslighting is a form of manipulation that makes the victim(s) question their reality. It is employed by master manipulators (who are often abusers or narcissists) to gain more power over the victim. This is often seen in close relationships, such as those between partners, friends, even brother and sister—but gaslighting…

Our favorite television shows just aren’t complete without a beloved couple: there was Corey and Topanga from Boy Meets World; Chandler and Monica from Friends; and, of course, we can’t go without mentioning Jim and Pam from The Office. We often place these couples on a pedestal. We look up…

I know—what the heck is “gaslighting”? It may sound funny but it’s actually a really scary form of manipulation, which got its name from a popular 1940’s film titled Gas Light. In this movie, a husband methodically manipulates his wife into thinking she’s crazy, hence referring to this form of…

Think back to when you were a trouble-making, devious kid—maybe you stole a cookie from the cookie jar, or stayed up past your bedtime, or watched a movie deemed inappropriate and off limits. Chances are, you did everything you could to avoid getting caught and being punished: which means that…

I have one friend who I’ve really maintained a level of closeness with since the very ripe age of 10. We got through the awkward high school years together and even managed to pay one another monthly visits during college. Now we’re figuring out how to maneuver through real adult…