Biderman's Chart of Coercion Applied to Domestic Violence
Learn how coercively controlling abusers shape, restrict & torture their targets
Updated April 30, 2026 | Reviewed by Lybi Ma
In 1957, sociologist Albert Biderman described the tactics torturers use to weaken and terrify prisoners of war. Ann Jones, Susan Schechter and Evan Stark transferred these ideas to the field of domestic violence . They called this strategy coercive control .
Coercive control isn’t a single act. It’s a broad web of tactics woven to dominate an intimate partner. Abusers use coercive control to strip targets of their resources such as friends, family, money, and their health. Coercive control can show up as isolation that shrinks a survivor’s world, degradation that erodes their sense of self or relentless micromanagement that turns daily life into a minefield. It may include manipulation, monitoring, physical or sexual violence , threats, financial abuse and calculated punishments. But coercive control does not have to include all of these to be effective. Abusers often control their targets without ever hitting them. Abusers usually continue coercively controlling their exes after separation through some combination of financial abuse, litigation abuse, and custody battles.
For survivors, naming this pattern can be clarifying, even liberating. It helps make sense of confusing dynamics that others may not see. For advocates and professionals, the framework of coercive control brings the full picture into focus. It reminds us to look beyond visible injuries or discrete incidents to the ongoing system of control that takes over a victim-survivor’s life.
In the chart below, Biderman’s Chart of Coercion is adapted to the tactics of domestic abusers. This chart illustrates how abusers entrap domestic violence victims. It can be used across mental health, advocacy, educational and legal settings.
Biderman, A. D. (1957). Communist attempts to elicit false confessions from Air Force prisoners of war. Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 33 , 616-625.
Jones, A. R. & Schechter, S. (1993). When love goes wrong: What to do when you can't do anything right . Harper Collins.
Stark, E. (2007). Coercive control: How men entrap women in personal life. London: Oxford University Press.
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Lisa Aronson Fontes , Ph.D. , is a senior lecturer at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the author of Invisible Chains: Overcoming Coercive Control in Your Intimate Relationship.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.