The Role of Love and Attachment in Masking Coercive Control
Love and attachment can make it hard to recognise coercive control, as strong emotional bonds often cloud judgment. Victims may rationalise or overlook controlling behaviours, hoping the relationship will improve or believing their partner’s actions stem from love. Abusers often use this attachment to their advantage, creating a dependency that makes it difficult for victims to see their control tactics as harmful. Understanding how love and attachment influence perception is key to identifying coercive control.
Our Family Violence Mindset Solutions Coercive Control Course examines the dynamics of love and attachment, offering insights to help individuals navigate these complex emotions.
How Love and Attachment Obscure Coercive Control
- Rationalising Harmful Behaviours – Victims often explain away abuse as concern, or a “bad phase,” or a reaction due to their abuser’s “troubled past”.
- Hope for Change – Attachment creates hope that the abuser will change and the person they fell in love with will return, leading victims to tolerate controlling behaviours.
- Emotional Dependence – Strong attachment makes leaving seem unthinkable, even when abuse is present.
- Fear of Losing the Relationship – The thought of ending the relationship can be overwhelming, keeping victims from confronting the abuse.
- Abuser’s Manipulation – Abusers use love and attachment to foster dependency, deepening the victim’s emotional investment.
Our course helps individuals understand these influences, empowering them to see coercive control more clearly. Learn more about recognising control in relationships shaped by love and attachment.
Empowering Survivors to See Beyond Attachment
Recognising coercive control despite attachment is challenging, but possible with the right tools. Family Violence Mindset Solutions is here to support survivors in overcoming these emotional barriers. Contact us for guidance.