3 Commonly Misused Psychology Terms

Studies show Millennials and Gen Z are more open-minded in discussing mental health than previous generations and more likely to utilize tools such as medicine or therapy, along with their connected terms.

Amidst the panic at the height of COVID-19, many of us felt isolated and disconnected. We turned to professionals for help, using innovative tools such as telehealth to meet our therapy needs. Simultaneously, we used social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram at increased rates. Moreover, mental health professionals began to use social media for outreach. In a time of uncertainty, technology provided a connection. It was great. The gatekeeping was over, and I learned more about mental health by watching videos of therapists and psychiatrists on TikTok or Instagram than any version of the DSM I’d read. However, things started to change; what began as a societal good had eroded.

Before I knew it, anyone with a ring light and three minutes had become an expert. 

In discussing mental health, suddenly most exes were narcissists. If somebody forgot they’d told someone something, they were being gaslit. I’ll concede that folks who mistreat us abound, but certain terms have become buzzwords, and their definitions got lost in translation.

Read on for the surprising origins of three of the most commonly misunderstood psychological terms.

Narcissistic 

Ask an individual about a rocky relationship, and they could likely use this term. 

Narcissism stems from the Greek myth of Narcissus, a dashingly handsome young man who spurns the love of Echo, a nymph. In doing so, he angers the Greek gods and is punished by falling in love with his reflection, only never to be loved back. 

Narcissism is often used as a descriptor instead of selfish, self-centered, or arrogant. Narcissism is a real mental illness, known as narcissistic personality disorder. Selfishness can certainly be the trait of a narcissist, but not every self-centered person is a narcissist.

Gaslighting 

Gas Light is a 1938 play written by playwright Patrick Hamilton and adapted into a 1944 movie of the same name starring Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman. After a brief and wild love affair, Gregory (played by Boyer) and Paula (played by Bergman) marry. They reside in Italy in the home of Paula’s late aunt, Alice, who was murdered, and the case has gone cold. Paula starts noticing odd goings-on, such as strange sounds in the attic and dimmed gas lights. Gregory tells his bride there isn’t anything amiss, and she must be imagining things. Eventually, Paula begins to question herself and her mind. 

Gaslighting is a passive behavior that may be exhibited in many types of relationships, from familial to professional. The common thread is a power dynamic, in which one party seeks to manipulate circumstances to go in their favor. After all, it’s much easier to control people and relationships when you control the very perception of reality. 

Triggered 

Have you ever seen “TW” at the beginning of a post? It is short for trigger warnings. It’s seen at the beginning of social media posts or subreddits discussing sensitive topics. 

Victims and survivors can be triggered by anything, from a whiff of their perpetrator’s perfume or cologne to the sound of fireworks. 

Today, “trigger” is casually used in phrases like:

“Oh no, the Wi-Fi is slow! I’m so triggered.”

“That movie scene triggered me.”

“Ugh, I have to work late tonight. It’s so triggering!” 

As triggers are stimuli that evoke traumatic memories or intense emotional responses, flippantly using “trigger” to describe minor annoyances trivializes genuine psychological triggers of those affected by them. 

Opting against using terms or phrases with negative and painful connotations, especially if there are better word choices isn’t a matter of being woke or politically correct; it’s about not being a jerk. 

Words bear weight. So, please be careful.

Featured image via cottonbro studio on Pexels