Date of Award

Fall 9-8-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Loretta Stalans

Abstract

The topic of gaslighting has gained increasing traction over the last several years. People have begun researching it in real-world settings such as relationships, politics, and the workplace. Furthermore, researchers have looked at the effects it has on the victim. However, there has been limited research on how one might react to an instance of gaslighting. This study examines how the victim’s race and the perpetrator’s position of power influence third parties’ recommendations on how to handle a scenario of workplace gaslighting. Psychology 101 students (N = 154) were randomly assigned to a 2 (race of victim: white vs black) x 2 (power position of perpetrator: co-worker vs supervisor) factorial design where they were asked to read a scenario depicting gaslighting in the workplace and report how likely they would recommend the five next steps: direct confrontation, report to HR, increase likeability, discuss with coworker, and avoid. Power had a significant main effect on direct confrontation, such that individuals were more likely to recommend direct confrontation for a coworker than a supervisor. There were no main effects of race or any interactions for any of the recommendations.

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