what is domestic violence

 Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, psychological, or technological actions or threats of actions or other patterns of coercive behavior that influence another person within an intimate partner relationship. This includes any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound someone.

Patterns in the Dynamics of Abuse

lustrations of the power and control wheel and the post-separation power and control wheel  are particularly helpful tools in understanding the overall pattern of abusive and violent behaviors used by abusers to establish and maintain control over their partners both within and following a relationship. Very often, one or more violent incidents are accompanied by an array of these other types of abuse. They are less easily identified yet firmly establish a pattern of intimidation and control in the relationship. These patterns then often start to repeat, commonly becoming more and more intense as time goes on. Each relationship is different, and not every relationship follows the exact same dynamics of abuse. Some abusers may change behaviors rapidly, while others may change over longer stretches of time. Regardless, abusers purposefully use numerous tactics of abuse to instill fear in the victim and maintain control over them.