maternalism

A type of toxic behaviour most commonly exhibited by middle aged women which seeks to control or discredit a person through a sustained campaign of infantilisation, gaslighting and intense focus on the target's perceived flaws or disabilities. Through this the perpetrator sets themselves up as a protective mother figure of an otherwise capable adult to whom they are usually not related. This tactic is often used in the defence of bigotry or conspiracy theories such as the anti-vax movement, the goal being to portray the target as too immature to have their arguments taken seriously.