Power and Control Wheel – Relationship Dynamics in Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

Abuse can take many shapes and/or forms. It can be subtle, manipulative and even invisible to outsiders. The Power and Control Wheel breaks down the different kinds of abuse – from emotional abuse to financial control and everything in between.

The Power and Control Wheel shows what abuse in a relationship can look like:

The wheel shows the ways an abusive partner tries to keep their partner in the relationship.

Outside of the wheel –> More visible signs (physical and sexual abuse)

Inside of the wheel –> Less visible signs (such as economics and emotional abuse)

The inner tactics, such as intimidation, isolation, and gaslighting often go unseen but are just as harmful.

Exploring signs of abuse in the inner circle

1. Coercion & Threats
   1. Making threats to their partner such as threatening to hurt them
   2. Threatening to leave their partner, kill themselves, or report them to authorities
2. Intimidation
   1. Making their partner afraid through looks, actions or gestures
   2. Smashing or breaking things
   3. Destroying property
3. Emotional Abuse
   1. Making their partner feel bad about themselves
   2. Calling their partner names
   3. Humiliating their partner and making them feel guilty
4. Isolation
   1. Controlling what their partner does, who they see, who they talk to and where they go
   2. Using jealousy as a way to justify their actions
5. Minimize, blame & deny
   1. Minimizing the abuse and not taking their partner’s concerns seriously
   2. Denying the abuse
   3. Blaming their partner for causing the abuse
6. Using Children
   1. Using children to relay messages
   2. Threatening to take the children away
   3. Using children to make their partner feel guilty
7. Male Privilege:
   1. Defining men and women roles
   2. Treating their partner like a servant
   3. Being in charge of all the big decisions
8. Economic Abuse
   1. Preventing their partner from getting or keeping a job
   2. Taking their partner’s money
   3. Not letting their partner know about the family’s finances/ income

Source: idetermine.ca