Image of a drawing depicting parts of a community or town, with silhouette outlines of people that are clustered together in different sized groups. Each group is labeled. The smallest 'group' is one person, and the label reads Individual. The two-person group is labeled Interpersonal, the next group has several people in a tight cluster, and is labeled Community. The last group has several people spread out a bit, and is labeled Society. The purple color of the labels gets darker as the group-size gets larger. The groups of people are set in different parts of the community or town, near a playground, a school, an apartment building, an office building and a hospital, with light-yellow accents highlighting each place. There are green trees and vegetation around, and birds in the blue sky. Underneath the town is a layer of grey rocky soil, and beneath that is a layer of blue water with text that reads 'Groundwater Theory of Advantage and Oppression'. There is a large magenta square labeling the entire image with the title 'Interactive Theory of Change.' There is blue text at the top of the image that reads, 'We know that intimate partner violence (IPV) is about power and control at the interpersonal level.' In bigger, bold text, the next sentence says, 'Preventing IPV must involve addressing harmful power and control dynamics that exist at the societal level.'

Key Strengths

Focusing on building these key strengths that address clusters of risk and protective factors is key to preventing IPV in your community.

Dark blue text that reads 'Healthy Social and Emotional Development' on a light blue backround, with four silouettte outlines of people below, in dark blue. On the left is a silouette of an adult-sized person, on the right a smaller child sized-person facing them. Behind the child to the right are two additional people drawn close together with a pale-yellow transparent block of color in the shape of a house behind them. Below the silouettes is text that reads Learn More in dark blue.
Dark blue text that reads 'Parent-Child Connectedness' on a light lavender background, with two silouettte outlines of people below, in dark blue. In the foreground is a child-sized person with arms raised, taking a step forward, and behind them is an adult-sized person standing close. There is a pale, transparent pink heart covering both of them. Below the silouettes is text that reads Learn More in dark blue.
Dark blue text that reads 'Positive School Climate and Connectedness' on a light blue background, with a line drawing of a one-building school house outlined in blue. There is school bell drawn in the top of the school, and double doors in the front of the building. There is a transparent green patch of color to the left of and partially covering the school building. Below the school building is text that reads Learn More in dark blue.
Dark blue text that reads 'Community Connectedness' on a light lavender backround, with four silouettte outlines of people below, in dark blue. Three of them are drawn walking to the left, and the fourth is walking to the right. They are clustered in the middle, and look like they are walking with purpose. Below the silouettes is text that reads Learn More in dark blue.
Dark blue text that reads 'Economic Stability and Opportunity' on a light blue background, with a line drawing of a two-story building outlined in blue. There is a TV-antenna on the top of the building and a sign over the main entrance with a squiggly line hinting that the sign has words on it. There is a road going up the hill to the past the building, with a car driving to the right. There are outlines of bushes and shrubbery with green patches of color over them. Below the building is text that reads Learn More in dark blue.
Dark blue text that reads 'Norms relating to Gender and Power' on a light lavender backround, with a solid dark blue silouette of a figure standing at a desk with columns carved into it, wearing judge's robes, and holding up a gavel. The figure has medium-short, dark curly hair with lots of volume, and they present themselves as femme or gender fluid. They look strong, powerful, and dignified. Below is text that reads Learn More in dark blue.

Strategies

 

Turning theory into action: Real world tools for implementing IPV prevention programs in your community.

Descriptive Norms

There are different types of social norms, and the two that matter most for violence prevention efforts are:

  • injunctive (what we should do), and
  • descriptive (what we actually do)

Key Strengths Table

Key Strengths Table

Margenderalized Definition

Margenderalized is an inclusive term referring to all people who are not cisgender men. Coined by organist, scholar, and theologian A. C. Weaver, margenderalized is a broad term, and explicitly includes trans men and women, non-binary and agender people, two-spirit and gender fluid people, and cisgender women.

Cisgender is a term describing when someone feels comfortable and identifies with the gender role assigned to them at birth.

Social Ecology Definition

Social Ecology is a term used in public health to describe social influences that occur among different sized groups of people.

Each societal group is called a different “level” in the social ecology. Going from largest to smallest, they are:

Outline of a dark purple circle with white background, inside is a drawing of a building with a car driving in front of it and green pine trees in the background. This icon symbolizes the Societal Level of the Social Ecological Model, explained elsewhere on the site.Societal Level

Outline of a dark purple circle with white background, inside is a drawing of the silhouettes of six people clustered together. This icon symbolizes the Community Level of the Social Ecological Model, explained elsewhere on the site.Community Level

Outline of a dark purple circle with white background, inside is a drawing of the silhouettes of two people standing together. This icon symbolizes the Interpersonal Level of the Social Ecological Model, explained elsewhere on the site.Interpersonal Level

Outline of a dark purple circle with white background, inside is a line-drawing of silouette of a person standing inside the circle. This icon symbolizes the Individual Level of the Social Ecological Model, explained elsewhere on the site.Individual Level

Some scholars add a broader level, the cultural level, and describe it as a layer that encompasses the institutions and structures of the societal level.