Domestic violence is a pattern of physical or psychological abuse, threats, intimidation, isolation or economic coercion used by one person to exert power and control over another person in the context of a dating, family or household relationship. Domestic violence is maintained by societal and cultural attitudes, institutions and laws, which are not consistent in naming this violence as wrong.

The “Power and Control Wheel” demonstrates how the need to exert power and control over abused are the center causes of domestic violence. It describes the different types of abuse and offers examples of each.

As mentioned, Domestic Violence is not a one-time incident. Within each incident of abuse there’s is a “Cycle of Violence”. The following wheel explains the cycle of violence and its three stages: the tension building phase: the acute explosion:and the honeymoon phase.