Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over the other. The “domestic violence power and control wheel” is a tool that illustrates the many different ways that an abuser can exert power and control over their victim.
The power and control wheel was developed by the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project (DAIP) in Duluth, Minnesota, in the 1980s. It is based on the premise that domestic violence is not simply about physical violence, but also about psychological, emotional, and financial abuse. The wheel identifies eight different tactics that abusers use to maintain control over their victims, including:
