This research investigates the extent of support for the criminalization of coercive control among college students, with a specific focus on whether there is a difference in perspectives between those who have experienced or witnessed intimate partner violence and those who have not. Considering the ambiguity in the general population's understanding of coercive control, it is hypothesized that individuals who have experienced or witnessed it are more likely to support its criminalization than those who have not. If, through this proposed research, supporting evidence is found for this hypothesis, it might be clearer that gaining further support for the criminalization of coercive control would require widespread education, with emphatic attention drawn to the testimonies and experiences of those who have survived it themselves. Before delving deeper into the role of coercive control within intimate relationships, its societal implications, and all other proposed approaches to combating it, one must first understand the American history and social context of responses to intimate partner violence, which predates the recognition of coercive control, and contextualizes the gendered nature of its framework.