What's in a word!

We use words to express ourselves. While some words may seem overused, others may be brand new. Each year a word of the year is chosen based on many criteria. The Oxford, Merriam-Webster, and Collins dictionaries choose their word of the year. The word

usually represents the current year's themes, mood, ethos, and trends. For example, in 2021, the Oxford word of the year was "vax", and Merriam-Webster's was "vaccine", clearly showing what everyone was talking about this time last year.

It is interesting to note that in 2022, all three words have some significance to the mental health field, showing an uptick in the trend to popularize the mental health phenomenon.

The Oxford dictionary

Published by the Oxford press, the Oxford dictionary is considered the gold standard around the world. Almost everyone owned one of these until the 90s, before Google took over.

The word of the year 2022, as per the Oxford Dictionary, is 'goblin mode'.

How was it chosen?

This year, for the first time, the word was chosen by public vote from amongst three finalists — goblin mode, metaverse and #IStandWith.

What does it mean?

Goblin mode is used to describe a type of behaviour that is unapologetically lazy and self-indulgent. While it was used on Twitter as far back as 2009, it regained popularity in 2022 in the post-pandemic world. It refers to someone being lazy, self-indulgent, slovenly, and greedy in rejecting social norms and expectations and being unapologetic about it.

Popular reference: The word had its moment in the context of rumours surrounding the controversial Kanye West and his ex-beau, Julia fox. The idea of going into goblin mode came about when the COVID-19 restrictions eased, and while some people ventured out, some chose to stay indoors, rejecting the idea of returning to everyday life and rebelling against the high standards set up by social media.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary

The Merriam-Webster's 2022 word of the year is 'gaslighting'.

How was it chosen?

Merriam-Webster uses data collected on the site to discover which terms experienced a major bump in search. This year,

the hands-down winner was the psychological phenomenon

called 'gaslighting', a word that experienced a 1,740 per cent increase in lookups on the Internet. It will be interesting to note that the Oxford Press had named gaslighting as a runner-up in their list of the most popular new words of 2018.

Gaslighting means, "the act or practice of grossly misleading someone, especially for one's advantage," or "psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories".

The term finds its root in the title of a British theatre play 'Gas Light' (1938) which was made into a popular movie in 1944. The plot revolves around a husband who uses trickery to convince his wife that she is mentally unwell, in order to steal from her.

Gaslighting techniques can be found in toxic relationships, those with narcissists or unavailable partners, parents or friends. The most common techniques are:

Forgetting and denial: Pretending not to remember things that have really occurred and denying or even delaying things that are important to others;

Withholding: The gaslighter (abuser) may pretend not to understand the other person or even withhold information;

Countering: A tactic to oppose and question the other person's way of thinking, memory and order of sequence;

Obfuscation: It involves making something unclear or hard to understand;

Trivializing: Making the concerns and needs of others trivial and citing that they are not necessary;

Blocking and diverting: Changing topics in order to gain control over the situation;

Discrediting: By spreading lies and rumours to sway others' opinions in their favour.

Prolonged periods of gaslighting can lead to anxiety disorders, depression and low self-esteem in the victims.

The Collins dictionary

The Harper Collins dictionary is another worldwide favourite, and the word of the year 2022 is 'permacrisis'. It refers to long periods of instability from a series of catastrophic events.

Permacrisis can be thought to be a combination of 'permanent' + 'crisis', resonating with 'an extended period of instability and insecurity'. The term is a depiction of how the world is in a permacrisis currently with the COVID-19 aftermath, the war in Ukraine, climate change issues, political instability, the energy crisis in Europe, recession and the cost-of-living crisis. One can also use it to refer to periods of their lives where problems keep cropping up without prolonged periods of respite.

The other terms from the same dictionary with a mental health connotation are 'quiet quitting' & 'vibe shift'.

What is quiet quitting?

Quiet quitting is not new but has come to the forefront lately. It is the practice of doing no more work than the basic work that

one is contractually obliged to do, not a spec more. The preference is to do other personal activities and not be the star at work or the boss's pet.

The shift is from the mindset that one's only identity need is their work to doing more in life. People realize that they need to promote boundaries within themselves for better work-life balance. But many employees also resort to it when they are mentally done with their current jobs and looking out for a new one. Unfortunately, you can be fired for quiet quitting and written off as not performing up to the mark.

Vibe shift: Well, the name says it all. The current changes in the cultural atmosphere, trends and flavours show a major vibe shift around the world.

Which word of the year do you resonate with the most?

Send your questions to help@dreradutta.com