The Power & Control Wheel

The Power & Control Wheel displays an interrelationship between power and control, the tactics used to reinforce power and control, and the different threats of violence and abuse (the outside ring of the wheel).

The wheel is used to convey the nature of violence and abuse. The wheel illustrates the relationship between abusive behaviors and violence, and depicts people’s experiences of being subjected to a pattern of power and control by another person.

It is important to note that the graphic is an illustration of domestic violence. Not all people control with the same tactics or violence. While there are common characteristics across people who abuse, such as tending to see themselves as the victims of those they abuse, we cannot group all people who abuse into a single universal category or type. It is also important to note that not all tactics of abuse are obvious to others outside of the relationship, and sometimes to the victim themselves, and at the same time can be extremely damaging.

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