Illustration of a large person with an abstract square head looming over a smaller man scratching his temple. Question marks float round him.

5 ways to recognize and avoid political gaslighting

Those who propagate disinformation and lies to manipulate people into supporting them have earned the title of gaslighter.

(Illustrations by Shannon Wright for The Washington Post)
Guest column by
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Gaslighting, often seen in personal relationships, can also happen in the heated world of politics and elections. Not every politician is a gaslighter, but those who propagate disinformation and lies to manipulate people into supporting them have earned that title.

So how do you know if a politician is gaslighting? As psychologists with a combined six decades of experience in research and clinical practice, we have some tips for you to consider.

Robin Stern, PhD, is the co-founder and senior adviser to the director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, a psychoanalyst in private practice, the author of “The Gaslight Effect Recovery Guide” and the host of “The Gaslight Effect” podcast.

Marc Brackett, PhD, is the founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, a professor in the Child Study Center at Yale, lead developer of RULER, an evidence-based approach to social and emotional learning, and the author of “Permission to Feel.”

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