I saw some questions about the causative "get" and understood "get someone to do" and "get someone doing" are almost interchangeable.
However, I wan't able to find an answer about the difference between the causatives "make" and "get."
So let me ask you about the difference.
I find lines in the lyrics of "Russ – Psycho Pt. 2."
Here is the lines:
"She got me going psycho
She got me going down
Down, down
Got me living on a tightrope
She got me going down"
Why is "she got me going psycho" used, not "she made me going psycho"?
What's the difference between "make" and "get"?
Thank you.
Best Answer
I would interpret 'get someone to do something' as 'ask them to carry out some task for you', as in 'I must get a plumber to repair that dripping tap'.
If you 'get someone doing something' it implies that you are causing them, deliberately or otherwise, to behave in a certain way. A musician might 'get the whole audience dancing', or, in the song you quote, the woman's behaviour has caused the man to feel psychotic.
'Make someone do something' has a stronger implication that the compulsion was deliberate. It would be 'She made me go psycho', not 'going'.