To mark International Women's Rights Day, we wanted to shed some light on the concept of "coercive control", increasingly used by the general public to understand violence against women by their partners. But what is it really, and what's the point of grasping this notion? To find out, we interviewed Gwénola Sueur, a doctoral student in sociology, and Pierre-Guillaume Prigent, a doctor of sociology, who have been working on this issue for several years, in particular through interviews with female victims of domestic violence.
1. The notion of "coercive control" is not new
The notion of coercive control is increasingly evoked in the media to address the issue of domestic violence. But it's not a new or revolutionary concept. "The notion of coercive control serves to recontextualize domestic violence. But it was already being studied in the 70s," explains Pierre-Guillaume Prigent. "But it serves to say that domestic violence isn't just physical brutality, or the work of an insane man who becomes extremely violent physically. Coercive control takes into account power issues between men and women," explains Pierre-Guillaume Prigent. This model resembles the French model of the "aggressor's strategy" theorized by the Collectif féministe contre le viol," adds Gwénola Sueur.
The advantage of the concept of coercive control is that it goes beyond simply listing the physical and psychological violence that a woman who is a victim of domestic violence may suffer. "It takes into account a context of structural inequality between men and women. Coercive control can be summed up by taking into account the 3 Cs: context, behavior and consequences. So it's not just a matter of psychological, economic or physical violence. By taking the context into account, we also include the way in which the woman is deprived of resources," adds Pierre-Guillaume Prigent. "Coercive control is based on the social control of women as thought by British sociologist Jalna Hanmer in the 1980s." "But during the interviews, the ladies use whatever terms they like: abuse, hold... For us, the expressions used are important for understanding the context of domestic violence, how the aggressor's techniques, which are intertwined, have been put in place," adds Gwénola Sueur.
2. Coercive control aims to dominate and control the other partner
Coercive control is characterized by a dynamic of domination and control, where one partner exercises power over the other [1]. The main characteristics of coercive control include the restriction of the other partner's autonomy and freedom. This can manifest itself in actions such as social isolation, where the individual imposes limitations on his or her partner's social interactions, restricting contact with family, friends or other sources of support. Coercive control can also take the form of surveillance, where the abuser exercises intrusive control over his partner's private life, monitoring her communications, movements and online activities. Financial control is often used as a means of maintaining power and control in the relationship.
In many societies, traditional gender norms foster unequal power dynamics in intimate relationships, where men are socially and culturally encouraged to exert control over their partners. These gender norms can legitimize coercive control as a way for men to maintain their superiority and authority in the relationship. "Women are subject to constant injunctions from society about how they should behave, dress etc. Violent men rely on these injunctions to exert their power," explains Pierre-Guillaume Prigent.
3. A cycle of violence that repeats itself
This is often referred to as the cycle of domestic violence, with phases of tension, outbursts of violence, followed by phases of reconciliation. The first phase of the cycle is one of accumulated tension, when minor conflicts or latent tensions begin to manifest themselves in the relationship. The second phase is the explosion of violence. In this phase, the accumulated tension reaches a breaking point and manifests itself in acts of verbal, emotional or even physical violence on the part of the aggressor. The third phase is the reconciliation or honeymoon phase. After the violent outburst, the aggressor may express remorse, apologize or promise to change. This phase is often marked by gestures of affection, apologies and even gifts, with the aim of restoring an appearance of normalcy to the relationship. The victim may be led to believe that the abuser has changed or deserves another chance, which can reinforce the cycle of violence.
"It's a way of identifying mechanisms and understanding how domestic violence works. But through coercive control, we also look at the consequences for the women, the changes in their behavior, and how this influences their interactions with the aggressor, who is constantly adapting. The concept makes the dynamics of control and coercion visible", adds Gwénola Sueur.
4. Different forms of control
Coercive control manifests itself through various tactics aimed at restricting the autonomy and freedom of the other partner [2]. "The consensus definition is that of Stark, who says that coercive control is conduct aimed at maintaining power by using various tactics," explains Pierre-Guillaume Prigent. "In my thesis I identified eight tactics: isolation, deprivation of resources, control, intimidation, devaluation, confusion, over-responsibility (which goes a little beyond the inversion of responsibility) and violence. "
Among the most common forms of coercive control are financial control, where the abuser exercises power over his partner's financial resources, making her economically dependent, and surveillance, where the abuser keeps a close eye on his partner's activities and interactions, creating a climate of mistrust and insecurity. The abuser may also deliberately isolate his partner from friends and family, reducing her sources of support, or use manipulative tactics to control her emotions and thoughts.
Coercive control is also often expressed through activity control, when the abuser dictates his partner's daily routine, limiting her autonomy and freedom. "We think it's interesting to put the notion of coercive control into practice [3], but not necessarily into the law. The main interest of the notion is to enable people to better understand domestic violence. But we've seen that enshrining it in law is not very effective", explains Pierre-Guillaume Prigent [4]. "The few jurisprudences that mention coercive control do so for situations they describe as 'intimate terrorism', with particularly intense violence. But it's not just that. There can be different intensities, and it's not just intimate but social."
5. It takes time to get out of a situation of coercive control
Victims of domestic violence can suffer from mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress. "There's an obvious impact on women's behavior: we often see a sense of unreality, a reduction in mental space, anxiety, and sometimes depression. But above all, it has an impact on behavior," explains Pierre-Guillaume Prigent.
Constant criticism, humiliation and intimidation inflicted by the abuser undermine the victim's self-esteem, sowing doubt and confusion about his or her own worth and abilities. The victim may begin to internalize the abuser's negative messages, which can lead to a decline in self-esteem, self-confidence and feelings of shame and guilt. "For example, we conducted an interview with a lady who was constantly denigrated when she drove. Her partner would tell her that she wasn't careful, that it was better for him to drive, and so on. Well, in the end, she didn't drive anymore, she thought she couldn't drive," adds Gwénola Sueur.
As someone close to someone experiencing domestic violence or coercive control, there are recommendations to help, beyond referring them to a specialized association. "The Collectif féministe contre le viol recommends doing exactly the opposite to the aggressor. Isolate her? Support her. Does he devalue her? We value her. Etc.", explains Pierre-Guillaume Prigent. "Applications like Mémo de Vie, which allow you to write down what's happening every day, can also be useful. By rereading what she has written down, she regains a foothold in reality, whereas the spouse aims to confuse her," adds Gwénola Sueur.
One of the problems of leaving a situation of coercive control is the joint exercise of parental authority, which means that coercive control continues through the children," adds the sociologist. "And that's not just a legal problem. Today, co-parenting is sacrosanct in our society, but we need to change the way we represent it," concludes Pierre-Guillaume Prigent.
To find out more > our file on domestic violence.
[1] Stark, E. (2009). Coercive control: The Entrapment of Women in Personal Life. Oxford University Press.
[2] Prigent, P.-G. (2021). Les stratégies des pères violents en contexte de séparation parentale: contrôle coercitif, complicité institutionnelle et résistance des femmes [doctoral dissertation in sociology, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Brest]. https://www.theses.fr/s146670
[3] Côté, I. and Lapierre, S. (2021). Pour une intégration du contrôle coercitif dans les pratiques d'intervention en matière de violence conjugale au Québec. Intervention, 153. https://revueintervention.org/numeros-en-ligne//153/pour-une-integration-du-controle-coercitif-dans-les-pratiques-dintervention-en-matiere-de-violence-conjugale-au-quebec/
[4] Prigent, P.-G. and Sueur, G. (2024 January 27). Les limites à l'incrimination du " contrôle coercitif " : état des lieux et perspectives. In Des savoirs criminologiques aux pratiques professionnelles. Association Française de Criminologie, Paris. https://hal.science/hal-04435662
