Domestic Abuse – Predator versus Coercive

Many people believe that predatory behaviour is the only concern in domestic violence, but male coercive can also be a serious concern.

Coercive Men that Emulate the Female Perpetrator

Regarding coercive men who emulate patterns similar to female perpetrators of domestic violence, there are indeed several peer-reviewed journals containing research on this phenomenon. This is a fascinating area that examines how some male perpetrators adopt tactics traditionally less recognized or associated with female perpetration patterns.

Several journals have published research examining male perpetrators who use tactics similar to those described for female perpetrators – particularly the emphasis on coercive control, legal-administrative abuse, and psychological tactics rather than primarily physical violence. The research tends to focus on how these men strategically leverage systems and social biases, similar to how some female perpetrators were described as doing.

The following peer-reviewed journals have published relevant research on this topic:

Journal of Family Violence has published studies examining male perpetrators who primarily use psychological and legal-administrative tactics similar to those described in female perpetrators. Specifically, articles by Elizabeth Bates and others have explored how some male perpetrators strategically use children and court systems as weapons in abuse.

Violence Against Women has featured research on what some researchers call “manipulative male perpetrators” who emulate tactics more frequently associated with female perpetration, including false victimhood claims and sophisticated emotional manipulation strategies.

Partner Abuse regularly publishes research on typologies of male perpetrators, including those who primarily use non-physical coercive control tactics similar to those described in female perpetrators. This journal has explored how some men combine emotional abuse with carefully limited physical violence to avoid detection.

Psychology of Men & Masculinities has published studies examining how some male perpetrators adapt their tactics based on changing social awareness about domestic violence, including adopting strategies that mirror those used by female perpetrators who leverage gender stereotypes.

Journal of Interpersonal Violence has featured research on male perpetrators who engage in what researchers call “systems abuse” – the manipulation of legal, child protection, and other institutional systems against partners, similar to the legal-administrative abuse described in female perpetrators.

A particularly relevant study published in the Journal of Family Violence by Heward-Belle (2017) examined how some male perpetrators strategically present themselves as victims while continuing coercive behaviours. This research expressly noted patterns where men adopted tactics traditionally less recognized in male perpetration but more similar to the patterns sometimes seen in female perpetrators.

Similarly, research published in Violence and Victims has explored how some male perpetrators deliberately create false narratives of mutual abuse or female primary aggression to mask their coercive control, effectively co-opting the language and presentation of actual male victims of female-perpetrated violence.

These studies collectively highlight that while the majority of severe physical domestic violence follows more traditional gendered patterns, the patterns of coercive control, psychological manipulation, and systems abuse can manifest across gender lines in ways that require nuanced understanding by practitioners and researchers.