The Power and Control Wheel: Methods and Mindset of an Abuser

According to the Office for National Statistics, for the year ending March 2020, an estimated 1.6 million women aged 16 to 74 years experienced domestic abuse in the last year (ONS, 2020).

It is difficult to collect accurate data about the number of people affected by domestic violence however because a lot goes unreported out of fear. When someone is in an abusive relationship, their whole world is completely controlled by the abuser, often faced with threats to their safety or loved ones if they were to ever speak up. 

Below is a useful visual aid to help one understand how these abusers operate. It is also interesting to note that there is a historic misconception that domestic abuse only accounts for physical harm or sexual violence. This is wrong - Emotional and psychological abuse may not leave physical marks, but coercive control is just as debilitating. The wheel demonstrates the methods of power and control to contain their victim. 

The wheel was created by the Domestic Abuser Intervention Programs and is a significant piece of the framework because it focuses less on the victim's actions and instead more importantly on the perpetrator's, which contributes to raising awareness about the signs of an abusive partner in a relationship. 

There is often too much of an onus placed on victims, particularly women, and not enough material targeted towards the abusers. Linked below is a video of former American Football player Vance Johnson who was abusive in his past relationships engaged in abusive relationships and speaks about his actions to raise awareness and encourage other men (and women) to take accountability for their destructive behavior and make an impactful change. We hope that you will find it interesting to hear from a different perspective. 

Vance Johnson details his history as a domestic abuser WATCH HERE: https://youtu.be/J-9k_itEGFo