Gaslighting—a type of psychological abuse aimed at making victims seem or feel “crazy,” creating a “surreal” interpersonal environment—has captured public attention. Despite the popularity of the term, sociologists have ignored gaslighting, leaving it to be theorized by psychologists. However, this article argues that gaslighting is primarily a sociological rather than a psychological phenomenon. Gaslighting should be understood as rooted in social inequalities, including gender, and executed in power-laden intimate relationships. The theory developed here argues that gaslighting is consequential when perpetrators mobilize gender-based stereotypes and structural and institutional inequalities against victims to manipulate their realities. Using domestic violence as a strategic case study to identify the mechanisms via which gaslighting operates, I reveal how abusers mobilize gendered stereotypes; structural vulnerabilities related to race, nationality, and sexuality; and institutional inequalities against victims to erode their realities. These tactics are gendered in that they rely on the association of femininity with irrationality. Gaslighting offers an opportunity for sociologists to theorize under-recognized, gendered forms of power and their mobilization in interpersonal relationships.

中文翻译：

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煤气灯的社会学

Gaslighting——一种旨在让受害者看起来或感觉“疯狂”，创造“超现实”人际关系环境的心理虐待——已经引起了公众的注意。尽管这个词很受欢迎，但社会学家却忽略了煤气灯，让心理学家将其理论化。然而，本文认为煤气灯主要是一种社会学现象，而不是一种心理现象。Gaslighting 应该被理解为植根于社会不平等，包括性别，并在充满权力的亲密关系中执行。这里发展的理论认为，当肇事者动员基于性别的刻板印象以及针对受害者的结构性和制度性不平等来操纵他们的现实时，煤气灯是必然的。使用家庭暴力作为战略案例研究，以确定煤气灯运作的机制，我揭示了施虐者如何调动性别刻板印象；与种族、国籍和性别相关的结构性脆弱性；和制度上对受害者的不平等侵蚀了他们的现实。这些策略是性别化的，因为它们依赖于女性气质与非理性的关联。Gaslighting 为社会学家提供了一个机会，可以对未被充分认识的、性别化的权力形式及其在人际关系中的动员进行理论化。