In his book, Evan Stark develops the concept of coercive control as a centerpiece for reorienting one's understanding of abusive relationships. He argues that it is coercive control, rather than physical violence, that is the key dynamic in what is commonly referred to as domestic violence. Stark has developed the model of coercive control as part of an effort to restore one of the original feminist battered women's movement's goals, the empowerment of women. In this article, the author contends that Stark's reframing of woman abuse is useful for battered women's advocates and may, in some cases, lead to more effective practices in battered women's programs. This reformulation of woman abuse shifts the rationale for intervening in abusive relationships from one of protecting the victim's physical integrity to one of protecting the victim's physical integrity to one of pursuing a societal interest in ensuring women's personal freedom. References