According to Medical News Today, the term gaslighting refers to “a form of psychological abuse, in which a person or group causes someone to question their own sanity, memories, or perception of reality.”Anyone can be gaslighted, whether it be by close family members, friends, or even strangers.
To warn students of the dangers of being gaslighted, students at Bethesda Chevy Chase High School (BCC) took the initiative to organize lectures, performances, and panel discussions to unwrap the effects of gaslighting in their school and their communities. “It’s important for the school system to address gaslighting because their students, whether we like it or not, are facing gaslighting through parental figures, teachers, [and] even their colleagues and peers,” BCC student Jeremy said in an interview with Montgomery County Public Schools News.
Invited speakers, such as MCPS Superintendent Dr. Monifa B. McKnight and Doctor Betty Holston Smith, the first student to desegregate BCCHS during the class of 1959, participated in their panel discussion titled “Gaslighting, Prejudice, and Racism: Three-generations of struggles and successes.”
Doctor Smith spoke of her difficulties understanding her own identity because of all the other influences around her. She could not see who she was meant to be, as everyone around her made her believe she was supposed to be one way or another, putting her in a box. She discussed her emergence from this false identity and the path of self-discovery with students, emphasizing that at no moment should you accept the stereotypes or attempt to force yourself to believe you are.
“I believe that our students cannot learn unless we create those spaces to make them feel welcome, safe, and valued in our schools,” said Dr. McKnight in a later interview with MCPS Moment. Another student also added how this panel will not be enough to create the whole change they are looking for, but it will plant the roots necessary to start moving towards the change of a community aware of gaslighting with infrastructure set in place to prevent its effects.
“I think we, as a community, can collectively grow from this and free our future generations from trauma,” sophomore Emma Kendrick said.
Written by Akshya Mahadevan of Richard Montgomery High School
Photo courtesy of MCPS