| Chronic manipulation, deceit, gaslighting | Confusion, self-doubt, anxiety, impaired decision-making; erosion of self-trust. | Demonstrates coercive control; pattern of psychological abuse; undermines victim’s ability to consent or make free decisions. |
| Humiliation, degradation, mocking distress | Shame, fear, trauma responses; lowered self-worth; hypervigilance. | Establishes emotional abuse; supports claims of sadistic or controlling dynamics; shows intent to cause emotional injury. |
| Threats (direct or implied) | Constant fear response; anticipatory anxiety; feeling unsafe; nervous-system dysregulation. | Relevant for restraining orders, risk assessments, and demonstrating coercive control or intimidation. |
| Withholding information, finances, or resources | Dependence, loss of autonomy, helplessness; financial anxiety; inability to plan. | Indicates financial abuse; supports claims of strategic control; relevant for marital asset disputes and coercive control legislation. |
| Sudden rage, intimidation, or explosive reactions | Trauma symptoms; hyperarousal; learned helplessness; avoidance behaviors. | Shows pattern of intimidation; strengthens claims of family violence or emotional harm; impacts custody considerations. |
| Blaming victim for perpetrator’s wrongdoing | Guilt, shame, chronic confusion (“fog”), collapse of self-esteem. | Shows psychological manipulation; undermines victim credibility if not addressed; legally relevant to demonstrate coercive tactics. |
| Using illness, crises or threats of self-harm as control | Emotional entrapment; fear of consequences; distorted sense of responsibility for abuser. | Demonstrates manipulative coercion; relevant to assessments of emotional abuse and safeguarding concerns. |
| Isolation from family, friends, support networks | Social withdrawal, loneliness, increased vulnerability; reduced access to help. | Shows intentional isolation; one of the strongest indicators of coercive control; important in custody and safety planning. |
| Monitoring, surveillance, obsessive checking | Feeling watched, inability to relax, panic responses; erosion of privacy. | Indicates stalking-type behaviors; supports restraining orders; demonstrates ongoing risk. |
| Sudden “love-bombing” followed by cruelty | Emotional instability; attachment trauma; confusion; dependency. | Evidence of intermittent reinforcement; strengthens claims of manipulative abuse patterns; relevant in psychological assessments. |
| Deriving pleasure from victim’s distress | Deep emotional injury; PTSD symptoms; long-term trauma; sense of being dehumanized. | Supports findings consistent with sadistic tendencies; demonstrates malicious intent, increasing legal severity. |
| Interference with finances, legal processes, or documentation | Powerlessness; fear of losing home or stability; stress-related health impacts. | Relevant for proving financial abuse, obstruction, and bad-faith behavior in divorce or civil proceedings. |
| Using children as tools (messages, triangulation, threats) | Distress, guilt, anxiety; parental alienation dynamics; damaged family relationships. | Critical in custody cases; shows emotional abuse of both victim and children; supports safeguarding measures. |
