Everybody else has mentioned the movie and the plot, but the actual term ‘Gas Lighting’ was because the husband would leave the room and then manipulate the gas lights (in the days prior to electric) to dim. They would return to normal before he returned, and when she mentions it, he denies it happens and leads her into believing she’s hallucinating.
I could be wrong, so please grade on the curve.
A+
on any grading scale.
Many excellent explanations here, but it was great to see someone actually explain why it was called “gaslighting”.
Kudos.
I don’t think the dimming was purposeful. The husband was secretly in another part of their home and was using the gas lights there. That would cause a dimming in the rest of the house. When the wife noticed this, then the husband suggested she was imagining things.
This was accompanied by other attempts to make her doubt her own sanity.