The word “gaslighting” has ventured into pop culture as it has never been. The greater prevalence of this definition is most definitely related to the political environment we all live in. Everything and anything leaves you wondering what is false or true. Discussing minds and political pundits routinely remark that people are currently “gas-lit” by economists who perform the wrong-doing; however, they assert we do wrong.
Politics apart, gaslighting is a cognitive term that pertains to some particular pattern of behavior in which one individual exerts or tries to govern an individual’s awareness or perception of reality. As soon as it is frequently employed for romantic connections, it might happen in various options, such as office. We could complain of lousy supervisors, weird-toxic colleagues, or only plain-old bullying and soft harassment; however, work gaslighting is a labor harassment that is on still another level entirely.
In this article, we will discuss gaslighting at work in detail. This would cover topics like what gaslighting is at work, how to detect it, what measures you should take to protect yourself, and such. By definition, gaslighting is not generally readily recognizable. After all, the individual manipulating is trying to apply power to you in an undetectable, sluggish, and sly method. If you have ever believed that someone was, which makes you question yourself, your skills, and a sense of actuality, then you probably have become the casualty of gaslighting.
What is Gaslighting – Is my boss gaslighting me?
Gaslighting is a series of manipulation tactics in which a person or entity makes a victim question their reality to gain more power. As per her, gaslighting is a category or resemblance of emotional bullying, dishing out a negative psychological impact, and can be called workplace harassment. Usually, in workplace gaslighting scenarios, the gaslighter tries to get others fired, degraded, or devalued in terms of professional commitments. They do this by accusing the other of the same thing the nasty gaslighter is doing to them.
Gaslighting by the employer – Gaslighting at the workplace.
Gaslighter at work is not vindictive and shines out like an outright bully. Instead, they are subtle, slow, and vicious. The need for them to gaslight pops out of their insecurities, majorly professional but sometimes personal. Sometimes, gaslighters at work are charming people. Gaslighters hide their ulterior motives under the veil of pretentious humor and people skills, and they are well rwell-regardedse, in reality, they’re psychologically hitting the psyche of others, breaking them from within.
As per Rose Lawrence (psychotherapist and owner of Mind Balance), given below are the traits of a gaslighter at work:-
- They can listen to you long enough to gain your trust, extract your emotional insecurities, and then use them against you.
- They take zero accountability for lying when caught and pin it up on you for making them do so in the first place.
- Gossip around and establish dominance over word of mouth.
- Leave you feeling incomplete and unworthy.
- Confident appearing, low morale, highly insecure people.
Gaslighting can happen to ANYONE.
In most workplaces, workplace hiring occurs between a superior and a subordinate or between employees competing for the same professional level. When it happens in the hierarchy, it becomes a case of power abuse. Usually, the gaslighter exerts themself on the victim to extract the maximum out of the employee, exploiting them out of their resourcefulness. Quoting Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed psychologist in the state of Georgia and the founder of Therapy For Black Girls, “I do think it could be the case, where if you are already feeling down about yourself, or if you have these kinds of thoughts of like, ‘I’m not good enough,’ or ‘I’m not smart enough,’ and then somebody came along telling you things that affirm that, it might make it easier for you to believe that. So now, it is evident that gaslighting can happen to anyone at any time.
Signs Of GGaslightingAt Work
- The boss instructed you to do something, and when you completed the task, they lay on your face, saying, “This” is not what they asked you to do.
- The boss lies about your project deadline and then threatens to fire you because you did not complete the work by the real deadline.
- Your co-worker heard your boss saying ill and mean about you behind your back.
- Passing our racist, sexist, and derogatory comments and then pretending they didn’t mean any harm or did not say those things in bad faith.
- They can label you as ” overreacting to the situation” without any proof or reliable justification for their actions.
- They steal your idea, tweak it to improve it, and present it as their own.
How to defend yourself against gaslighting
- Step outside the situation.
- It’s not about you.
- Go for distance.
- Build up support.
- Document the abuse.
- Believe in yourself.
- Seek counseling
So, how do you stop gaslighting at work? The significance of assigning documentation as soon as a staff member feels plagued can not be overstated (and sure, gaslighting, gaslighting is a kind of office harassment). Take another co-worker to a redressal with you and the possible gaslighter. Attempt to restrict your communication to composed formats to ensure you have something written down to mention. Reaffirming your self-worth and everything you are proficient at may additionally help combat some lingering doubts regarding your expertise that somebody else may be attempting to hone on you.” In case you cannot establish what your borders come with different men and women,” Lawrence claims, “you won’t have the capability to discern if someone’s crossed the line.”
This is pretty much the information you should about gaslighting, how to detect it at your workplace, and how to stand up for yourself if you’re being victimized by it. Always try to stay emotionally intense, believe in your capabilities, and take pride in your skills to improve yourself continuously.
After leaving Wells Fargo Bank in 2014, Daniel began a career as a finance consultant, advising companies and individuals on economic policy, labor relations, and financial management.
At Nimblefreelancer.com, Daniel writes about personal finance topics, value estimation, budgeting strategies, retirement planning, and portfolio diversification.
Read more on Daniel Smith's biography page.
Contact Daniel: daniel@nimblefreelancer.com