Joining the chorus of therapy Twitter saying that popularizing clinical terms minimizes and distorts important psychological descriptors and exaggerates common experiences.
Being triggered is not being upset or bothered. It is a return to a trauma state locked in the nervous system.
Being a narcissist is not simply about being self-centered.
It is a pervasive and chronic state with an exaggerated sense of self-importance.
It relates to others with a need to consume others’ emotions, either admiration or hatred, for their sense of being.
Being gaslit is not simply being lied to or deceived.
It is an ongoing pattern of misrepresenting reality in a relational setting with the intent or effect of making someone question their own sanity, their capacity for rational thought, or their sense of reality.
Abuse is not someone being mean to someone, or even simply behavior.
Like addiction, abuse is a complex pattern of emotional, psychological, and behavioral expressions wherein one person or group avoids all responsibility while placing all blame on another person or group.
Overuse of these terms to describe frustrating experiences minimizes the impact of these words when they really are the appropriate term.
We also internally and externally exaggerate our experiences and create a sense that our pain is commensurate with victims of true abuse and trauma.