Search results
Coercive control describes a range of behaviours that allow someone to gain or keep control of a partner, ex-partner or family member. Examples of coercive and controlling behaviour include: People who use coercive and controlling behaviour will exploit insecurities and vulnerabilities. Victims may feel frightened, confused and intimidated.
The majority of women, up to 90%, who report abuse, experience coercive control in some form. 97% of people who were persecuted for controlling behaviours in the UK in 2019 were male, though this does not negate how many men are victims of domestic abuse each year. Vulnerable people are at risk of coercive control.
Dec 8, 2023 · Coercive control is a form of hidden abuse that can often go unnoticed due to the fact it is not physical. It is a form of domestic abuse that extends beyond physical violence, manifesting in subtle yet insidious ways to exert dominance and manipulate a victim's life. According to Biderman's Chart of Coercion, this harmful pattern often unfolds ...
- Overview
- 1. Isolating you from your support system
- 2. Monitoring your activity throughout the day
- 3. Denying you freedom and autonomy
- 4. Gaslighting
- 5. Name-calling and putting you down
- 6. Limiting your access to money
- 7. Reinforcing traditional gender roles
- 8. Turning your kids against you
- 9. Controlling aspects of your health and body
Coercive control is a common tactic in abusers. Learning to recognize the signs is important for your emotional health and physical safety.
You’re probably familiar with some forms of domestic violence, such as physical or verbal abuse. There’s a more subtle type of abusive behavior that’s equally harmful.
Coercive control is a strategic form of ongoing oppression and terrorism used to instill fear. The abuser will use tactics, such as limiting access to money or monitoring all communication, as a controlling effort.
While this form of abuse is illegal in some countries, including the United Kingdom, since 2015, it’s not considered illegal in the United States unless a crime has been committed.
Anyone can experience coercive control, but it’s often grounded in gender-based privilege. Between 60 and 80 percent of women seeking assistance for abuse have experienced coercive control.
Here’s a look at 12 major signs of coercive control, along with some resources that can help you get out of a bad situation.
A controlling partner will try to cut you off from friends and family or limit contact with them so you don’t receive the support you need, says clinical psychologist Cali Estes, PhD.
Here are a few ways they do this:
•suggesting shared phone and social media accounts for convenience
•moving you far away from your family so that it’s hard to visit them
•fabricating lies about you to others
•monitoring all your phone calls with your family and cutting the line off if anyone tries to intervene
“Abusers pursue coercive control through attempts to make themselves omnipresent,” says Wendy L. Patrick, PhD, a career trial attorney and expert in criminal law.
They do this by wiring your house with cameras or recording devices, sometimes using two-way surveillance to speak to you at home during the day.
“This invasive surveillance often extends to private areas, such as the bedroom and even the bathroom,” notes Patrick, “adding an element of humiliation to what is already a clear boundary violation.”
All of this allows them an added element of control and also serves as a reminder to you that they’re watching.
Someone exerting coercive control might try to control your freedom of movement and independence.
Some methods include:
•not allowing you to go to work or school
•restricting your access to transportation
•stalking your every move when you’re out
•taking your phone and changing all your passwords
Example
Say your partner comes home from work, expecting dinner to be served. They said they wanted steak before they left. When you serve dinner, they might throw it on the floor, scream, and yell that they wanted burgers, claiming that you’re too stupid to follow simple directions. You then find yourself questioning your own memory, apologizing, and re-making dinner. Was this helpful?
Malicious put-downs, name-calling, and frequent criticisms are all forms of bullying behavior.
They’re designed to make you feel unimportant and deficient, says Melissa Hamilton, PhD, a criminologist and expert in domestic abuse.
Controlling finances is a way of restricting your freedom and ability to leave the relationship.
Some ways they’ll try to exert financial control include:
•placing you on a strict budget that barely covers the essentials, such as food or clothes
•limiting your access to bank accounts.
•hiding financial resources
•preventing you from having a credit card
Regardless of the type of relationship you have, your partner may try to make a distinction between who functions as the man and the woman in the relationship.
They’ll attempt to justify that women are homemakers and mothers, while men are the breadwinners. Using this argument, they may coerce you into taking care of all the cleaning, cooking, and childcare.
If you have children, either with the abuser or someone else, they may try to weaponize the children against you by telling them you’re a bad parent or belittling you in front of them.
This attitude can create a rift in the relationship between you and your kids, and may make you feel powerless.
They’ll monitor and control how much you eat, sleep, or time you spend in the bathroom.
Your abuser may require you to count calories after every meal or adhere to a strict exercise regimen. They may also control which medications you’re allowed to take and whether you go for medical care or not.
We also look at the impacts on children and young people experiencing coercive control including: parents and carers describing children as quiet, stressed and depressed. behaviour changes including children emotionally and physically abusing parents and siblings. children expressing worries and fears about their parent’s and carer’s ...
If you are a parent, guardian or close to a young person, you need to understand and look out for the signs of coercive control. It can be hard to spot the signs and know the difference between being caring and controlling; you’ll need to look at patterns of behaviour. A young person's partner could be controlling them if they are:
People also ask
Who is at risk of coercive control?
What is coercive and controlling behaviour?
Are You a victim of coercive control?
Is coercive control harmful?
How does coercive control affect children and young people?
Do you have coercive control?
Jun 29, 2020 · Coercive control can create unequal power dynamics in a relationship. Coercive control is a form of domestic abuse, or intimate partner violence. It describes a pattern of behaviors a perpetrator ...
