To the editor: Understanding coercive behavior, abusive tactics and the misuse of personal images

Recent “politics” in our small town have revealed how easily a person’s photos can be used as tools of humiliation and control when someone chooses to weaponize them. From a psychological and ethical perspective, this is not “politics” or “drama.” It mirrors a pattern that are well-known in the study of family violence, coercive control, and public shaming.

One of the most common tactics used to keep people compliant is public degradation. The goal is to make someone feel exposed, embarrassed, small and powerless. Taking someone’s photos — images that were never meant to be used as ammunition — turns their identity into a weapon against them. This reflects the same dynamics seen in coercive relationships: using shame, fear and social pressure to silence or punish.

When the person doing this also has a history of abusive behavior, the pattern becomes even clearer. Humiliation, exposure and dominance are not random choices; they are established methods of intimidation both inside and outside the home. This is not about morality. It is about power.

What makes this situation even more disturbing is the way the woman involved was treated throughout the process. Her photos were not used because she mattered — they were used because she was useful. Once the damage was done, she was ”discarded.” In coercive-control dynamics, this is a very familiar pattern: The target is not seen as a full person with dignity and autonomy, but as an object to be used to achieve an outcome. When the outcome is achieved, the person is no longer needed. The dehumanization is part of the harm. This sent a message to every woman in the community: your body can be used against you if someone decides you (or your partner) deserve punishment, or if someone decides you are simply a convenient tool.

This is not a small issue, this is a form of harassment with long-term psychological effects (like anxiety, shame, fear of future retaliation, etc.), and it tries to pressure people out of community involvement. It discourages civic participation by showing that anyone can be targeted. And it reveals a deeper truth about coercive behavior: people who weaponize others’ images often do not see the people they harm as real, whole human beings. They see them as leverage.

The focus should never be on shaming a woman for her consensual adult content. The focus should be on the misuse of that material to harm, intimidate and silence. That is the behavior that puts communities at risk. That is the behavior that deserves public attention, education, awareness and accountability.

Amanda Parent
Chester
Amanda Parent is studying family violence and psychopathology