Beyond Interpersonal Abuse

Conceptualizing Organizational Gaslighting as a Strategic Communication Risk

Autori

Parole chiave:

Gaslighting, Organizational gaslighting, Strategic communication, Bibliometric Analysis, VOSViewer

Abstract

Gaslighting, traditionally examined as a psychological phenomenon within intimate relationships, has recently gained interdisciplinary attention that extends into institutional and organizational contexts. In this paper, we define gaslighting as a risky strategic communication practice in which individuals or organizations deliberately obscure truth, discredit critics, manipulate narratives, and normalize doubt in order to maintain power and control. Normative ethical theory is used to explain the unethical nature of gaslighting as well as offer deontological (principled) ethical analysis tools and recommendations. This bibliometric study analyzed 235 academic publications indexed in the Web of Science to map the disciplinary distribution and thematic clusters of gaslighting research. Keyword co-occurrence mapping reveals a highly fragmented field—85% of journals (n = 195) published only a single article—yet concentrated scholarly activity exists in feminist philosophy, interpersonal violence, and education. Four thematic clusters emerged: (1) structural inequities and institutional contexts, (2) identity, power, and organizational life, (3) psychological traits, emotional harm, and interpersonal relations, and (4) abuse, control, and help-seeking. This study proposes Organizational Gaslighting as a Strategic Communication Risk (OGSCR) framework for understanding organizational gaslighting, encompassing four interrelated dimensions: power and hierarchy, narrative control, discrediting and delegitimization, normalization through internal culture, and stakeholder responses to issue or policy change. By reframing gaslighting as a risky communication practice, the study underscores how organizations may not only communicate about risks but also generate risks through their communication strategies. This dual nature—communication of risk and risk of communication—highlights the ethical, strategic, and societal stakes of gaslighting, making it a critical phenomenon for advancing debates in risk and strategic communication. This framework serves as a foundation for theoretical development and encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Biografie autore

Elina Erzikova, Central Michigan University

Elina Erzikova, Ph.D., is a Professor of Public Relations at Central Michigan University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Alabama and is a Fellow of the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations at the same institution. Her primary areas of research interest include the relationships between media and power, as well as public relations ethics and leadership. She has published in journals such as Political Communication, Mass Communication and Society, Journalism Studies, Journalism Practice, Public Relations Review, Journal of Strategic Communication, and International Communication Gazette. In 2020, she co-authored the book Russian Regional Journalism: Struggle and Survival in the Heartland, published by Peter Lang Publishing. Additionally, Erzikova co-edited the Handbook of Innovations in Strategic Communication: AI, Futurism and Directions with Shannon A. Bowen, which brings together leading international scholars to explore how technological advances are transforming communication, ethics, and society.

Shannon Bowen, University of South Carolina

Shannon A. Bowen, Ph.D., (University of Maryland) is a Professor at the University of South Carolina where she founded, along with Dr. Erzikova, the Global Strategic Communication Consortium to study ethics and futurism in the strategic communication, resulting in the Handbook of Innovations in Strategic Communication: AI, Futurism and Directions (2025). Bowen won numerous awards and top papers, and served as principle investigator on grants from the National Science Foundation, the International Association of Business Communicators, Arthur W. Page Center, and others. Her research areas are applied ethics, artificial intelligence (AI), internal communication, and issues management. She has several books and more than one hundred publications, many catalogued under OrcId: 0000-0001-7675-5002

Lana Ivanitskaya, Central Michigan University

Dr. Lana Ivanitskaya is an Industrial and Organizational Psychologist at Central Michigan University who applies rigor and methods of psychology to the scientific study of the workplace, specializing in healthcare organizations and systems. As a methodologist, she studies applications of custom network visualizations to bibliometric and social media analyses. In addition, her research involves healthcare workforce, health planning, and health system study from the patient perspective. She has published in journals such as Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Informatics, Gerontologist, Health Information Management Journal, and Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved.

Kerk Kee, Texas Tech University

Kerk F. Kee, Ph.D., (University of Texas at Austin), is the Virginia & Choc Hutcheson Professor in Mass Communication at Texas Tech University. His work centers on the diffusion of innovation and the dissemination of information in organizational, science, health, and environmental contexts. He has published in journals such as Communication Research, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, New Media & Society, International Journal of Information Management, and International Journal of Communication, to name a few. His research has been funded by the US National Science Foundation, Academy of Sciences, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Mary Beth West , Independent Researcher

Mary Beth West is an independent researcher with 30 years of PR experience. She is the founder of the #PRethics Community on LinkedIn. The London, U.K.-based Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) named Mary Beth as a Fellow (FPRCA) in summer 2022, following her prior appointment as a founding member and co-chair of the PRCA’s Global Ethics Council and as a member of the PRCA’s Global Advisory Council. Mary Beth’s commentary has been included in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, the USA Today Network, Business Insider, PRweek, PR News, Strategic, and other business publications. She has spoken at international conferences and forums on public relations ethics and other timely topics in cities around the world, including in Belgrade, Davos, Dubai, Paris, Vienna and Warsaw.

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Pubblicato

2025-12-31

Come citare

Erzikova, E., Bowen, S., Ivanitskaya, L., Kee, K., & West , M. B. (2025). Beyond Interpersonal Abuse: Conceptualizing Organizational Gaslighting as a Strategic Communication Risk. Mediascapes Journal, 26(2), 170–200. Recuperato da https://rosa.uniroma1.it/rosa03/mediascapes/article/view/19233

Fascicolo

V. 26 N. 2 (2025): Risk (of) Communication: Ethics, Futures, and Strategic Complexity

Sezione

Saggi della sezione monografica

Licenza

Creative Commons License

TQuesto lavoro è fornito con la licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione 4.0 Internazionale.