There’s a name for what Diddy allegedly did to Cassie — but you won’t hear it at trial

Among all the lurid details and allegations that have surfaced in Sean “Diddy” Combs’s trial on federal charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, one potential aspect of the music mogul’s relationships has flown under the radar.

What we haven’t heard on the witness stand is a concept crucial to understanding intimate partner violence and how individual incidents can form a pattern of abuse over time. That pattern, described by sociologists as “coercive control,” may have played a major role in Diddy’s relationships — but it won’t play a major role in the trial.

Generally speaking, “coercive control” is a pattern of controlling behavior, manipulation, and emotional abuse over time. It is criminalized in the UK, and seven states have passed laws that say coercive cont