La palabra gaslighting proviene del inglés y se puede traducir al español como abuso machista emocional y psicológico. Gaslighting refers to a pattern of emotional abuse where the victim is manipulated to doubt their own perception, understanding, and memory. The practice looks to create anxiety, confusion, and depression.
The concept emerged from the classic Hollywood movie, Gaslight, que se tradujo como Luz que agoniza en España y Luz de gas en Hispanoamérica. where a man psychologically manipulates his wife to convince her that she is crazy. The husband hides objects to make her believe she is responsible for their disappearance; he also dims the light of a gas lamp and argues that it is shining with the same intensity as before. The women does in fact begin to doubt her own perception of reality.