Overview
- Ghosting refers to abruptly ending contact without explanation, a pattern especially common in early stages of online dating.
- Catfishing involves using a false identity to build a relationship, which can inflict emotional damage and, in some cases, financial loss.
- Gaslighting is psychological abuse that distorts a partner’s reality and erodes self-confidence, leaving deep mental health effects.
- Experts note these behaviors long existed but are amplified and more visible through dating apps and social platforms.
- Therapists recommend setting boundaries, seeking support, and strengthening emotional education, with origins of these terms traced to a 1938 play for gaslighting and a 2010 documentary for catfishing.