The Origin of the Term Gaslighting

The psychological term gaslighting comes from this 1944 thriller. In the film, a man manipulates his wife into doubting her own reality by secretly dimming their home's gas-powered lights.

The movie features a husband who systematically tries to convince his wife she is losing her mind to hide his own criminal activities. He adjusts the intensity of the lights and then denies any changes occurred when she notices. This sinister tactic was so vividly portrayed that it gave the world a name for this specific type of emotional abuse. It remains a classic example of how psychological manipulation can be used to control others.