Power and Control Wheel

Family violence does not come from anger. It does not come from violence. It does not come from drinking alcohol.

Family violence comes from the desire of an abuser to exert power and control over his/her victim. The Power and Control Wheel, developed by the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project of Duluth, Minnesota, describes the many types of abuse suffered by victims of family violence. Very rarely does a victim of family violence suffer only one form of abuse. More often, victims are terrorised by a number of abusive tactics that abusers use to control them. The Power and Control wheel shows common tactics that abusers use to control their victims.