{"id":1697,"date":"2026-05-14T12:47:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T09:17:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drhamidyousefi.com\/why-do-they-distort-the-truth\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T12:47:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T09:17:41","slug":"why-do-they-distort-the-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drhamidyousefi.com\/en\/why-do-they-distort-the-truth\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do they distort the truth?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p lang=\"en\">Why Do Some People Engage in Gaslighting?<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\">(Psychological manipulation that distorts another person\u2019s perception of reality)<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\">Gaslighting<\/p>\n<ol lang=\"en\">\n<li>The Need for Control<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p lang=\"en\">The most common reason is the desire to control the relationship.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\">When someone can make you question your perception of reality:<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"en\">\n<li>You trust your own judgment less<\/li>\n<li>You become more dependent on them<\/li>\n<li>Your ability to make decisions is weakened<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p lang=\"en\">In this way, gaslighting becomes a tool of psychological domination.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<ol lang=\"en\" start=\"2\">\n<li>Avoiding Responsibility<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p lang=\"en\">Some people cannot tolerate admitting they are wrong.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\">So instead of saying:<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\">\u201cI made a mistake,\u201d<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\">they change the narrative:<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"en\">\n<li>\u201cYou misunderstood.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cI never said that.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cYou\u2019re too sensitive.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p lang=\"en\">This mechanism is a form of psychological defense used to preserve a positive self-image.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<ol lang=\"en\" start=\"3\">\n<li>Certain Personality Traits<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p lang=\"en\">This behavior is more common in some personality patterns or disorders, such as:<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"en\">\n<li>Narcissistic traits<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p lang=\"en\">A strong need for superiority and admiration.<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"en\">\n<li>Antisocial traits<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p lang=\"en\">Using other people instrumentally for personal gain.<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"en\">\n<li>Borderline traits in certain situations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p lang=\"en\">Extreme shifts in perception and blaming others during times of stress.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\">[Of course, not everyone who engages in gaslighting has a personality disorder.]<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<ol lang=\"en\" start=\"4\">\n<li>Learning It in the Family Environment<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p lang=\"en\">Some people grow up in families where:<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"en\">\n<li>Children\u2019s emotions were invalidated<\/li>\n<li>Reality was denied<\/li>\n<li>Constant blame existed<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p lang=\"en\">As a result, this communication style becomes a learned behavioral pattern that repeats itself.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<ol lang=\"en\" start=\"5\">\n<li>Preserving Social Image<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p lang=\"en\">Sometimes a person wants to maintain their image in front of others.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\">So they reshape the narrative in a way that:<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"en\">\n<li>Makes them appear rational<\/li>\n<li>Makes you appear irrational<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p lang=\"en\">This can also occur in workplace and social relationships.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<ol lang=\"en\" start=\"6\">\n<li>Deep Insecurity<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p lang=\"en\">Interestingly, many controlling behaviors are rooted in deep insecurity.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\">A person may fear:<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"en\">\n<li>Rejection<\/li>\n<li>Losing power<\/li>\n<li>Or having their weaknesses exposed<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p lang=\"en\">So by distorting reality, they attempt to maintain their psychological balance.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p lang=\"en\">An Important Point<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\">There is an important distinction in gaslighting:<\/p>\n<ul lang=\"en\">\n<li>Sometimes it happens unconsciously (as a psychological defense)<\/li>\n<li>Sometimes it is conscious and strategic (as a tool for control)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p lang=\"en\">The second type usually causes far greater psychological harm and is often used by deeply disturbed individuals.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p lang=\"en\">\u201cSociety and Mental Health\u201d<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\">This channel shares writings and materials related to psychology and psychiatry.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\">ID:<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ble.ir\/jamehvasalamtravan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/ble.ir\/jamehvasalamtravan<\/a><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\">Website of Dr. Hamid Yousefi<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\">Psychiatrist<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drhamidyousefi.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/www.drhamidyousefi.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why Do Some People Engage in Gaslighting? (Psychological manipulation that distorts another person\u2019s perception of reality) Gaslighting The Need for &#8230; <a class=\"cz_readmore\" href=\"https:\/\/drhamidyousefi.com\/en\/why-do-they-distort-the-truth\/\"><i class=\"fa fa-angle-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><span>\u0627\u062f\u0627\u0645\u0647 \u0645\u0637\u0644\u0628<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1695,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[92],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychological-writings"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why do they distort the truth? - \u062f\u06a9\u062a\u0631 \u062d\u0645\u06cc\u062f \u06cc\u0648\u0633\u0641\u06cc Dr Hamid Yousefi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/drhamidyousefi.com\/why-do-they-distort-the-truth\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why do they distort the truth?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Why Do Some People Engage in Gaslighting? 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