{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,18]],"date-time":"2026-06-18T02:52:08Z","timestamp":1781751128643,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,12]],"date-time":"2026-06-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781222400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Behavioral Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In Paul Dukas\u2019s opera, Ariane et Barbe-Bleue, when the captive wives are allowed to leave their confinement, they refuse to do so and remain with their aggressor. This narrative raises a central question: why do some women remain in violent contexts even when apparent pathways for escape exist? This scoping review aims at analysing the psychological and social mechanisms of coercion employed by those who perpetrate violence, clearly stating the focus on the responsibility of the perpetrator and exploring diverse relationship settings. A total of 31 articles from diverse disciplines such as social psychology, sociology, education, and studies on coercive control have been examined to provide insight into: (1) the psychological and (2) social coercion mechanisms and (3) the influence of gender socialisation on perpetuating the subjugation of women. These mechanisms are analysed transversally across intimate partner relationships and coercive family and community systems. Findings reveal that across these geographically, culturally, and religiously diverse settings, as well as across the diverse relationships analysed, similar patterns of psychological and social coercion exist that are framed and reinforced by a gendered socialisation rooted in patriarchal gender roles.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/bs16060983","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,18]],"date-time":"2026-06-18T02:10:16Z","timestamp":1781748616000},"page":"983","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["How Does Barbe-Bleue Subjugate His Wives? Psychological and Social Coercion of Women in Interpersonal Power Contexts: A Scoping Review"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6444-1997","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elena","family":"Duque-S\u00e1nchez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Theory and History of Education, University of Barcelona, Pg Vall d\u2019Hebron, 171, 08035 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7492-7069","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tinka","family":"Schubert","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, Universit\u00e4t der Bundeswehr M\u00fcnchen, Werner-Heisenberg-Weg 39, 85577 Neubiberg, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9717-8021","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carme","family":"Garcia-Yeste","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pedagogy, Rovira I Virgili University, 43007 Tarragona, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8219-7393","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Oriol","family":"Rios","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pedagogy, Rovira I Virgili University, 43007 Tarragona, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"360","DOI":"10.1177\/1350506818796039","article-title":"Yearning for affection: Traumatic bonding between Korean \u2018comfort women\u2019 and Japanese soldiers during World War II","volume":"26","author":"Ahn","year":"2019","journal-title":"European Journal of Women\u2019s Studies"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"111","DOI":"10.17711\/SM.0185-3325.2025.012","article-title":"Intimate partner violence: The perspective of men living in two municipalities in Valle del Cauca, Colombia","volume":"48","author":"Lennon","year":"2025","journal-title":"Salud Mental"},{"key":"ref_3","first-page":"101","article-title":"Aferrarse o soltar privilegios de g\u00e9nero: Sobre masculinidades hegem\u00f3nicas y disidentes","volume":"11","year":"2016","journal-title":"Pen\u00ednsula"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"447","DOI":"10.1093\/socpro\/spw012","article-title":"Stigma as social control: Gender-based violence stigma, life chances, and moral order in Kenya","volume":"63","author":"Barnett","year":"2016","journal-title":"Social Problems"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7","DOI":"10.1080\/00224499.2016.1276881","article-title":"Who wears the pants: The implications of gender and power for youth heterosexual relationships","volume":"55","author":"Maguin","year":"2018","journal-title":"Journal of Sex Research"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"329","DOI":"10.1080\/19419899.2020.1769158","article-title":"South African women\u2019s constructions of sexual consent","volume":"11","author":"Beare","year":"2020","journal-title":"Psychology & Sexuality"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"474","DOI":"10.1080\/26408066.2024.2312195","article-title":"Exploring intervention with South Asian women in the United States experiencing domestic violence","volume":"21","author":"Bhandari","year":"2024","journal-title":"Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work"},{"key":"ref_8","first-page":"575","article-title":"Talking about violence using fairy tales: Bluebeard, a gentleman with many faces, emblematic of the man who transforms from prince charming into a bad wolf","volume":"19","author":"Bosna","year":"2024","journal-title":"History of Education & Children\u2019s Literature"},{"key":"ref_9","unstructured":"Butler, J. 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