Power and Control Wheel

The Power and Control wheel was originally developed by the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project in Duluth, Minnesota. This wheel has been adapted from the original. It gives you the ability to examine different types of abuse.

The wheel is divided into sections. Each section is given a heading of type or category of abuse. Examples of that type of abuse are listed inside that section of the wheel. At the centre of the wheel is written “Power and Control”. All types of abuse are used to establish and maintain power and control in the relationship.

Further Examples

Physical Abuse

  • Not meeting physical needs
  • Pinching/squeezing
  • Tickling
  • Pushing/shoving/restraining
  • Jerking/pulling/shaking
  • Slapping/biting/pulling hair
  • Shaking
  • Hitting/punching/kicking
  • Choking/throwing objects
  • Repeated hitting or repeated action of any previous item
  • Targeted hitting (hitting certain areas of the body) or targeting of any previous item
  • Using objects as weapons ( household weapons)
  • Restraining/hitting/punching
  • Throwing her
  • Pregnancy-miscarriage
  • Medical treatment needed
  • Lacerations that require stitches
  • Broken bones/internal injuries
  • Disabling or disfiguring
  • Using weapons/knives, guns, poison
  • Death

 Sexual Abuse

  • Joking in her presence
  • Treating her as a sex object (ogling)
  • Sexual jokes about women
  • Jealousy (may be extreme)
  • Ignoring her changing psychological needs
  • Minimizing her feeling/needs regarding sex
  • Criticizing her sexually
  • Child/partner attending strip shows
  • Uncomfortable touch
  • Unwanted touch
  • Withholding sex/affection
  • Sexualizing need for affection
  • Sexualizing a kiss by other than partner
  • Sex labels: “whore”. “frigid”, “dried-up”
  • Demanding sex
  • Using pornography
  • Taking away her right to say “NO”
  • Forcing her to strip or perform humiliating acts in front of kids, others
  • Forcing picture-taking
  • Promiscuity
  • Forcing her to watch sexual acts, pornography, etc.
  • Demanding sex with threats
  • Forcing sex with self/others
  • Forcing uncomfortable sex
  • Forcing sex after beating
  • Sex for purpose of hurting (use of objects/weapons)
  • Unwanted sadism
  • Mutilation
  • Death

Financial Abuse

  • Believing that older people do not need money
  • Believing that only men can manage the finances
  • Thinking of her money as his own
  • Criticizing choice of spending
  • Unwilling to teach her money-handling skills
  • Doling out her own money
  • Consuming her resources (e.g. food/alcohol) without payment
  • Withholding money
  • Imposing unwanted caregiver roles
  • Moving in with the older person/not moving out
  • Forcing or making person feel guilty so as to entwine resources
  • Withholding financial status
  • Taking advantage of her mental condition
  • Denying services for monetary convenience, e.g., birth control, medical care
  • Not paying loans/repeated borrowing
  • Unwanted/forced pre-distribution of goods
  • “Borrowing” of possessions
  • Taking money
  • Making her give her money to children
  • Duress/misrepresentation
  • Forcing her to give over control of money
  • Theft of money/goods
  • Make her sign over house/car
  • Stealing her cheques, e.g., baby bonus, pension
  • Denying her money for necessities
  • Leaving her destitute
  • Death/suicide

Emotional Abuse

  • Jokes about habits/faults/age/disabilities
  • Insults
  • Overly familiar, e.g., use of “dear”/not using name that woman prefers
  • Speaking to third party (acting as if she were not there)
  • Treating her as a child
  • Not looking at her if she has a disability, or treating her as if she had a disability
  • Withholding approval
  • Ignoring her feelings
  • Taking away choices regarding dress, food and other personal
  • Not communicating appropriately
  • Not keeping promises
  • Yelling
  • Name calling
  • Repeated/targeted insults
  • Repeated private humiliation
  • Blaming victim for all faults
  • Lying
  • Labelling her as “crazy”, “old”, “bitch”
  • Silence/shunning
  • Threatening violence/retaliation
  • Putting down/diminishing abilities, e.g., as a parent, grandparent
  • Demanding attention
  • Telling her about affairs
  • Labelling her as alcoholic when under medication
  • Alienating children/causing their alienation
  • Imposing expectations beyond her, (i.e., looking after grandchildren)
  • Offering to stay “since you need me and can’t make it without me”
  • Adult Children moving home/living off woman
  • Unpredictable actions
  • Repeated public humiliations
  • Threatening to put her in a home/competency
  • Nervous Breakdown/depression
  • Mental “illness”
  • Declaring her incompetent
  • Threatening/attempting
  • Attempting suicide
  • Death