Off Topic 2020-06-26

Books

Future Shock is a 1970 book by the futurist Alvin Toffler, in which the author defines the term „future shock“ as a certain psychological state of individuals and entire societies. The shortest definition for the term in the book is a personal perception of „too much change in too short a period of time“. The book, which became an international bestseller, grew out of an article „The Future as a Way of Life“ in Horizon magazine, Summer 1965 issue. The book has sold over 6 million copies and has been widely translated.

A documentary film based on the book was released in 1972 with Orson Welles as on-screen narrator.

Other Topics

Gaslighting

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaslighting

Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which a person or a group covertly sows seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or group, making them question their own memory, perception, or judgment, often evoking in them cognitive dissonance and other changes including low self-esteem. Using denial, misdirection, contradiction, and misinformation, gaslighting involves attempts to destabilize the victim and delegitimize the victim’s beliefs. Instances can range from the denial by an abuser that previous abusive incidents occurred, to the staging of bizarre events by the abuser with the intention of disorienting the victim.

The term originated from the British play Gas Light (1938, but originally performed as Angel Street in the United States) and its 1940 and 1944 film adaptations (both titled Gaslight). The term has been used in clinical psychological literature, as well as in political commentary and philosophy.