Language is alive, dynamic and ever-changing. The language of today is not the same as it was 100 years ago, or 50 years ago, or even five years ago. Concepts from different professions flow into everyday language and we use these words over and over again.
Social media and TV shows play a major role in this, and if you spend even a small amount of time online, it’s possible that psychological concepts have entered your everyday language – and you haven’t even noticed.
All it needs is a viral Tiktok video.
The most prominent example of this is the term “gaslighting”. If you haven’t been living under a rock and have been on the Internet at least once in the past year, you’ve undoubtedly become familiar with the term.
It has become so deeply ingrained in our everyday lives that the word has been named “Word of the Year” by Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary.
Words have power because they shape consciousness and ultimately shape reality. This is because careful choice of words can help shape the public narrative and opinion.
For example, consider what’s going on between Russia and Ukraine. Is it “war” and “invasion” or “maneuver” or “special military operation”? Are Proposed changes to Israel’s judicial system A “reform” or a “coup d’état?” Are the recent IDF actions in the West Bank an “operation” or something else?”
Which words are used matter because those words can shape public opinion.
But when it comes to professional jargon, it is not always used correctly by the general public. This can result in a dilution and devaluation of these concepts in a sense.
Furthermore, since words have power, using them in the wrong way can lead to disastrous results. In psychological terms, this can have a particularly significant impact on how it affects people’s lives.
Frequent and incorrect use of professional terminology can slip away nuance, derail serious conversations, and create social stigma. Because of this, it’s important to understand what these terms mean and how (and when) they can be used correctly.
Here are some words that are used every day and are commonly used incorrectly:
gaslighting
A concept that has made inroads into everything from professional studies to pop culture. The term is used to describe insensitivity, lying, or sometimes just expressing an opinion different from one’s own.
This term is heard all the time in a professional environment and outside of it. It is commonly used as blaming someone, describing a gaslighter as someone who does not take responsibility for their own actions and behavior.
However, it’s actually much deeper and more insidious than lying or being insensitive.
Gaslighting is a process of manipulation that is used to make the victim question their perceptions, memories, conscience, and reality. This is not just a white lie.
Gaslighting is a feature of many abusive relationships, as seen in the 1944 film gas lightWhere the word originated from.
For example, a person may repeatedly insist that nothing happened, even though it did, and may tell their victim that they are remembering wrong or simply making it up.
The goal of gaslighting isn’t to get away with doing something bad. Rather, it is meant to create illusions, planting seeds of doubt in our perception of ourselves and reality. It is a violent and coercive act of coercion and control.
toxic
Even before Facebook and Netflix, Britney Spears People asked “don’t you know you’re toxic?” Since then, anything that makes people uncomfortable and depressed is considered “toxic”.
Your boss is toxic, your annoying friends are toxic, and even the poor barista who took more than a minute to make your coffee is toxic.
But not everything that frustrates us is actually toxic. Sometimes, it’s good to know how to control your frustration without blaming everyone and it’s better to let go of the toxicity accusation when someone is intentionally causing harm.
If someone in your life is intentionally causing you emotional harm, they are toxic.
Someone who isn’t right for you or who is difficult to adjust to isn’t necessarily toxic. Calling them toxic is wrong, unfair and can be hurtful and disrespectful.
Ego
Internet users’ favorite diagnosis is probably labeling someone as a narcissistWhich has been used to describe someone who appears to be self-centered.
This word is thrown around lightly and is sometimes used to describe someone we don’t like.
A narcissistic personality disorder is a clinical diagnosis where one has an exaggerated sense of genius and self-importance; the perception of presence at the limit of one’s own power and imagination; tendency to take advantage of others; deep need for praise, attention and admiration; and inability to face criticism.
Contrary to popular belief, people with narcissistic personality disorder don’t really love themselves. Rather, they are suffering from a severe ego injury and are trying to compensate for their own insecurities.
trauma
Did you trip on the stairs at the entrance to work and now everyone in the office sees you fall? How painful!
If you talk about it in therapy, your therapist will empathize with you (and if they don’t, it’s probably time to leave) but they may use words like “embarrassing,” “horrible” or “depressing.” will use. Not “painful”.
Trauma is a deep, serious and chronic condition that can affect not only the mind but also the nervous system. people suffering from post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) experience extreme stress and tension from anything that reminds them of their traumatic experience and may even perpetuate it.
They suffer from nightmares, impatience, anxiety and aggression. In some cases, they also try to commit suicide to stop the pain.
Describing a slip on the stairs as a trauma makes the actual trauma seem trivial and meaningless.
ocd
If, like me, you need to hold your beer glass at a certain angle or else it bothers you, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have OCD. Maybe you’re a little weird.
Even if you’re not sure you locked the door when you left, even if you need to desperately clean your house, even if you can’t go to bed, if you’ve put your clothes on Haven’t finished the laundry – doesn’t mean you have OCD.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a bit more complicated. It is an anxiety disorder based on an excessive need for control, where things are done in a certain way – and only in that specific way – to calm anxiety by establishing a sense of control. It’s not just an inconvenience or a desire to finish chores before bedtime, so you don’t have to do them in the morning.
Rather, it is about a deep and serious fear and concern that if these things were not done in a specific way, there could be disastrous consequences.
Outwardly, the practical aspect is the part that is visible. However, this behavior is an attempt to compensate for a cognitive aspect where someone with OCD suffers from intrusive and anxious thoughts and cannot control them.
against social principles
Do you have any friends who never want to go to parties and just want to stay at home? Well, that’s fine, but it would be wrong to think that he is anti-social. He may just be an introvert.
The term antisocial has come to refer to a reluctance to be with or around others. However, it is also a personality disorder that manifests as a repeated disregard for the feelings of others.
It’s a diagnosis that manifests as impulsive behavior, a lack of empathy, and a lack of awareness of how your actions affect those around you.
People with antisocial personality disorder will often be portrayed as reckless, manipulative, and deceitful.
trauma bond
It is a term that has entered pop culture relatively recently and is probably the one that is misused the most.
The assumption (and it is not unreasonable) is that trauma bonding occurs when two people share a traumatic experience and this brings them closer together.
The concept that describes such a situation sounds good, but in reality it is not. In fact, the term is akin to identifying with the aggressor.
Trauma bonding occurs when an aggressor and victim form a type of relationship or attachment. An example of this is Stockholm syndrome, where the victim empathizes with the aggressor.
A traumatic relationship is an actual emotional attachment that a victim develops towards their aggressor. This connection can often manifest itself in abusive relationships, when the aggressor exhibits rapid transitions between loving and abusive behavior and the victim’s mind and body learn to depend on whatever displays of love and affection they receive.
This can create a scenario where the victim ma feel wronged and feel that she needs the aggressor to receive these displays of love and affection.
schizophrenia
The term is also used incorrectly in many cases, especially when it is used to describe a “split personality” when someone switches between different identities, such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It was once known as multiple personality disorder and is today known as dissociative identity disorder (DID).
The word schizophrenia comes from Latin and means “split mind.” But this does not refer to multiple personalities. Rather, it refers to the disconnection between the various functions of the mind.
The symptoms of schizophrenia vary but in order to be diagnosed, one of the following symptoms must have been present for at least one month:
- hallucinations (perceptions of sensory stimuli such as sights, sounds, and smells that are not present)
- delusions (false thoughts and beliefs)
- disorganized speech
In this context, pop culture has had a major influence on how the condition is perceived. Now, the primary image of someone with schizophrenia in the public’s collective consciousness is that of particularly violent serial killers—who are likely to suffer from antisocial personality disorder. However, the majority of schizophrenia patients are non-aggressive who suffer from both the mental disorder and severe public stigma.