The Significance Of Gaslighting In Tara Westover's Educated

“Like You Weren’t Even There”: How Gaslighting Hinders the Evocation of Reality “Gently, as if he were unfolding the petals of the rose, he peeled open my fingers and dropped something in them. I felt the cold of the blade before I saw it, and sensed the blood before I glimpsed the red streak staining my palm.The blade glowed crimson. I rubbed my thumb and index finger together, then brought them to my nose and inhaled. Metallic. The. It was definitely bloody good. “If you’re smart, Siddle Lister, Shawn said, “you’ll use this on yourself. Because it will be better than what I’ll do to you if you don’t” (Westover 286). Throughout the memoir Educated, Tara Westover recalls several accounts of abuse by her older brother, Shawn. While his behavior has grown increasingly violent, his erratic and

Faye’s incessant comments telling Tara that her account of the incident with Shawn is incorrect illustrate Psychology Today’s explanation of gaslighting to demonstrate how recurrent gaslighting can lead to an individual’s inability to define reality. Following the incident, Faye continually tells Tara different accounts of the story, making her question what truly happened. Psychology Today discusses this behavior and defines gaslighting as an “insidious form of manipulation and psychological control” (“Gaslighting” 1). When Tara first confronts her mother about Shawn’s behavior, Faye acts supportive, saying how it was “painful to face reality” and “to realize there was something ugly, and [refuse] to see it” (Westover 270). She convinces Tara that “Shawn will get help” and apologizes by telling Tara that “[she is her] child”. [And she] should have protected [her]” (Westover 272). While Faye appears genuine, many manipulators will “explain how things are going to change” and “may try to lure a [victim] back with positive reinforcement”