Psychology Today | 05.07.2026 09:29
In 1957, sociologist Albert Biderman described the tactics torturers use to weaken and terrify prisoners of war. Ann Jones, Susan Schechter, and Evan Stark transferred these ideas to the field of domestic violence. They called this strategy coercive control. “Coercive control” also seems to be the right term for the manipulative and dominating tactics of cult leaders.
