Articles
Sabotaging Success: The Impact of Coercive Control on Careers and Education
In many abusive relationships involving coercive control, the abuser's need for control extends far beyond the home and into their partner's career and educational aspirations. By sabotaging their partner’s...
Articles
Unique Challenges Faced by Male Victims of Coercive Control
While most research focuses on women as the victims of coercive control, men can also fall victim to these tactics. However, male victims often...
Articles
Systems Abuse: Exploitation of Legal and Institutional Systems to Control Victims
Systems abuse is an abuser's calculated use of legal, bureaucratic, and institutional structures to control, intimidate, and harass their victims. Abusers exploit the very...
Articles
50 Common Gaslighting Phrases and What They Really Mean
Gaslighting is among the most deceptive forms of manipulation. It happens when an abuser systematically erodes your sense of reality, creating confusion and self-doubt....
Articles
Emotional Abuse vs. Psychological Abuse: What’s the Difference?
When discussing abusive behavior, the terms “emotional abuse” and “psychological abuse” are often used interchangeably, leaving many people wondering whether there is a distinction...
Articles
Coercive Control, Rules, and the Micromanagement of Daily Life
One of the common features of coercive control in relationships is the relentless micromanagement of everyday life—strict rules, limitations, and expectations that govern a...
Articles
Weaponized Incompetence as a Tool of Control in Abusive Relationships
Weaponized incompetence is a deliberate tactic in which individuals pretend they cannot perform tasks adequately, forcing their partners to assume those responsibilities. This behavior...
Articles
How Abusers Withhold Affection to Maintain Control
Withholding affection—also referred to as emotional withholding—is a subtle but damaging practice, which when used intentionally and consistently, is a form of emotional abuse....
Articles
Substance Use Coercion: A Hidden Form of Abuse and Control
Substance use coercion is a form of abuse in which an individual manipulates or controls their partner's use of substances, often as part of...
Articles
Survivors Share the Worst Excuses Abusers Use for Their Behavior
Domestic abuse takes many forms, and those who experience it often endure not just physical or emotional harm, but also a constant barrage of...
Articles
Evading Responsibility: Blame Shifting in Abusive Relationships
Blame shifting is a manipulative tactic commonly used by abusers to evade responsibility for their harmful actions and behaviors. This psychological defense mechanism allows...