Psychological violence and manipulative behavior in couple: A focus on personality traits

Abstract

Psychological violence is characterized by systematic denigration and humiliation of the partner (victim). It is an insidious and manipulative behavior put in place to ensure that the victim begins to doubt themselves, and their own judgments, to the point of feeling confused and wrong. This behavior pattern is called Gaslighting and the personality traits are characterized by lack of empathy, psychopathy, narcissism and Machiavellianism. These three conditions are part of the so-called dark triad and distinguished by the lack of empathy. The aim of this study is to explore psychological aspects and consequences of Gaslighting phenomena. This systematic review was conducted according to Systematic Reviews guidelines (PubMed and Google Scholar databases), using 2 key terms related to this topic “Psychological Violence” AND “Gaslighting”. Data for this systematic review were collected in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The reviewed studies focused on violence on affective manipulation, abuse trauma that compromises a subject's identity, psyche, self-esteem and sense of self, in women's mental health conditions. Most of the research analyzed is focused on the gender violence and manipulative behavior in couples.