This video will begin a series of videos over the coming months and largely relates to my work in the area of psychological abuse in relationships. This video series will include dialogue about the manipulation of power and control and how it relates to struggling relationships. In this very brief introduction video, I talk about underlying strategies used to control and the psychological abusive use of power and control.
There are three strategies that I have found in my work with clients over the last 25+ years in counseling therapy, and these three strategies are the underlying concepts or infrastructure that abuse relies on in order to meet its domination. It is important to note that the strategy is the plan and the tactics are the methods used.
In this video I give a brief overview of these three basic strategies; The withholding strategy which is mostly used passively, the deception strategy, a combination of passive aggressive strategy and the crisis-risk strategy which is the more overt, aggressive and even dangerous strategy. Each of these strategies may be used intentionally or unintentionally.
Have a look at this brief overview. I would appreciate comments, suggestions and questions about this information as well as for future videos in this series.
With You in Mind
Norm Quantz
2 Responses to “Strategies and Tactics of Psychological Abuse”
Hi Norm! Thanks for bringing these 3 strategies to light, and I’m so looking forward to reading your book. My question is about the 3rd overt/aggresive strategy: you described it as the more dangerous one- is this because of the possible physical danger that could result from this kind of control or did you mean more dangerous psychologically (or both)?
Hi Carla,
Sorry for the delay in responding. I’m excited about completing the final edits of my book and getting it published.
Regarding your comment about the 3rd strategy, you are right. My reference to dangerous is because of the more frequent possibility of physical danger. But it doesn’t negate the possibility of physical danger from those who primarily use the first strategy (Withholding) and the second (deception) to abuse others. That danger is often regarding the suicidal risks of the victim. This illustrates the cross-over issues between the strategies which I refer to in my book.
One way of thinking about abuse strategies is that they are using one generally preferred approach as the primary way to bring compliance to their control. So their tactics are organized around that general theme (plan).
The ones who use crisis-risk are more likely than the other two to involve physical danger. So if you are considering which strategy an abuser is likely operating from, it is likely “crisis-risk” if there are threatening statements or actions towards another. Even threats of the abuser taking their own life are in this strategy. All physical abuse (with or without sexual involvement) would also fall under this crisis-risk strategy.
I trust this helps.
Norm Quantz