A study was conducted in the 1950s after the release of US prisoners of the Korean War to learn about their experiences and the behaviors of their captors. Biderman's Chart of Coercion was developed from that study and shows the methods used by captors to brainwash prisoners and force compliance. Several decades later, when more was known about family violence and abuse in relationships, it was recognized that for many people experience abuse the methods appeared to be the same.
This chart was adapted from Biderman's Chart of Coercion to reflect methods of brainwashing in an abusive relationship. The second column was taken directly from Biderman's Chart of Coercion, and the third column was adapted for abusive relationships. Parts of this chart may reflect your experience in your relationship.
General Method |
Effects & Purposes |
In An Abusive Relationship |
Isolation |
- Deprives victim of all social support for the ability to resist
- Develops an intense concern with self
- Makes victim dependent upon the interrogator
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- The abuser deliberately isolates the partner from friends & family
- Abuser convinces friends that it is really the partner who is crazy, causes problems of the relationship, or needs help
|
Monopolization of perception |
- Fixes attention upon immediate predicament; fosters introspection
- Eliminates stimuli competing with those controlled by captor
- Frustrates all actions not consistent with compliance
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- Her attention becomes focused on how to keep abuser from becoming angry and how to avoid problems
- Sabotages or won't let her work, attend schools or have interests outside the home or relationship
- Makes her responsible for meeting abuser's wants and needs
- Becomes abusive or violent when she does something abuser doesn't want her to do.
|
Induced physical and
mental exhaustion |
- Weakens physical and mental ability to resist
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- Makes her do most or all of the work at home.
- Keeps arguments or assaults going for hours.
- Won't allow to sleep or interrupts sleep
|
Threats |
- Cultivates anxiety and despair
|
- Abuser makes partner fearful of what could happen
- Makes threats to take children or not support them, hurt or kill her r loved ones, damage her reputation, find her no matter where she goes, make it so nobody else would want her, commit suicide
The abused:
- Despairs of any change in the situation.
- Shows symptoms of depression.
|
Occasional indulgences |
- Provides positive motivation for compliance.
- Hinders adjustment to deprivation.
|
- Abuser may behave like the person they fell in love with, promise or appear to change, be loving or supportive, buy gifts, start counseling, or apologize.
The abused
- Believes they have finally reached the accepted standard and pattern of abuse will stop.
|
Demonstrating ‘omnipotence' |
- Suggests futility of resistance.
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- Suggests that no matter where she goes, abuser will find her, seems to know about things she's done or conversations she's had, claims to have powerful connections
The abused
- Accepts powerlessness. Accepts the pattern of behavior by the abuser as normal.
|
Degradation |
- Makes cost of resistance appear more damaging to self esteem than capitulation.
- Reduces prisoner to “animal level” concerns.
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- Calls her names, humiliates her in front of children or others, forces her to do things which feel degrading to her.
The abused
- Feels disgraced and humiliated. Loses all will to resist.
|
Enforcing trivial demands |
- Develops habit compliance.
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- Abusers often require a partner to do something that doesn't need to be done or that could easily be done by the abuser.
The abused
- Accepts habit of compliance.
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