The Maze Coercive Control Wheel (click the link to view un-cropped version of the wheel) was developed by Kathy Jones in order to update the long-standing Power and Control Wheel developed decades ago by the Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs (DAIP). By adding coercive control to the existing tactics included in the original tool, we are able to see the extent to which coercive controllers use existing societal, religious and family norms to enforce and maintain control over their victims.
The original Power and Control Wheel was created in Duluth Minnesota in the 80’s. At that time, it was thought that physical and sexual violence were the main forms of abuse that held the entire model together. With the creation of the coercive control model, researchers and domestic violence advocates now understand much more fully how the pattern of coercive control fits into the arena of domestic violence.
Most people understand domestic violence to be the use of physical and sexual force to control their partner in a relationship. But, as laws against physical violence were passed, many men started using other forms of violence as a way of maintaining control over their partners, without the higher risk of being caught. As women became aware that they had some form of recourse in the system, should their partner physically harm them, men we forced to find more subtle means of dominance.
These more subtle forms of violence include emotional abuse, financial abuse, sexual abuse, and psychological abuse. I consider all of these to be forms of violence, because they use force to overcome another’s free will. Legally, however, only physical violence and sexual assault are considered to be “violence”.
This shift from controlling women through physical violence toward using other forms of violence has significantly complicated assisting victims in freeing themselves from this insidious form of oppression.
As the Maze of Coercive Control Wheel points out, there are multiple factors within society that collude with the abuser, against the victim, to keep the pattern of coercive control in place. And, it is these factors that assist men in entrapping women… violating their human rights… and causing untold damage to victim’s lives, and the lives of the people they touch.
As victims of coercive control become aware that they are in a relationship that is harming them, they face significant barriers to escape. The family court system in the United States is significantly biased against women who allege abuse. This means that there is a high risk that a victim of coercive control might lose custody of her children, should she attempt to leave her abuser.
Victims are at the highest risk of fatal violence at the time that they try to escape an abuser. So victims must decide whether that potential risk is worth attempting to escape.
Financial abuse occurs in 99% of relationships with coercive controlling partners. It is one of the most effective ways to trap a woman in the relationship, because, if she can’t support herself and her children, or, if she cannot afford to wage an expensive legal battle against her abuser, she may be too dependent on her abuser financially to leave.
Coercive control is extremely damaging to the victim as well. Victims are often exhausted, injured, confused, terrified, and may even have significant mental, emotional or physical disabilities, caused by the coercive control. All of these things make leaving incredibly complex for the victim.
When a victim finally does find the courage to tell someone what is happening to her, the odds that she will be blamed for her abuser’s actions are high. And these odds go up significantly, if there has not been any physical violence yet. The victim is likely to be told to “forgive and forget” or “give him another chance”. This further confuses her situation and makes obtaining the support she desperately needs to escape, seem impossible.
The Maze of Coercive Control Wheel gives a visual representation of the web of abuse that victims of coercive control are trapped within. It helps to validate victim’s experiences. It can also serve as a way for those wishing to support victims to understand more fully what they have been dealing with, and what support might be most meaningful.
If you wish to learn more about the Maze of Coercive Control, you can visit Kathy Jones web site.
Please feel free to comment below if you find this tool helpful.
