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The Invisible Abuser: Attachment, Victimization, and Perpetrator Perception in Repeat Abuse
Mags Lesiak1, Loraine Gelsthorpe1
1Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Violence Against Women
|August 6, 2026
Summary
Domestic abuse survivors form trauma bonds when perpetrators weaponize attachment through manipulation. This study reveals how abusers create emotional entrapment, turning affection into a control strategy, not a sign of victim weakness.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Criminology
Background:
- Existing trauma bonding models often minimize the abuser's role.
- This can lead to victim-blaming and inaccurate conceptualizations of abuse dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the perpetrator's role in shaping victims' emotional attachment in domestic abuse.
- To identify mechanisms through which abusers maintain control and attachment.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study involving interviews with 18 women survivors of repeat domestic abuse.
- Thematic analysis to identify patterns in victim-perpetrator relationships.
Main Results:
- Identified "attachment weaponisation" as a key mechanism of coercive control.
- Abusers use grooming, trauma-sharing, and cycles of cruelty and care to create emotional entrapment.
- Perpetrators exhibit a profile of volatility, manipulativeness, and performative vulnerability.
Conclusions:
- Trauma bonding is a deliberate strategy of control, not a sign of victim weakness.
- Abusers manipulate victims into attachment, using affection as a tool for domination.
- Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for supporting survivors and challenging abusive dynamics.
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