DARVO is an acronym that stands for Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender. It is a manipulative tactic often used by abusers to avoid accountability for their actions. The tactic works by shifting the focus away from the original issue and attacking the actual victim, attempting to switch the roles of victim and perpetrator to allow the actual offender to receive sympathy and compassion, publicly or privately, as well as to avoid consequences for their actions.
The three steps of DARVO are as follows:
- Deny: The abuser will deny, minimize, and justify their actions, often through gaslighting.
- Attack: The abuser will attack the individual doing the confronting, often by blaming the victim for the situation.
- Reverse Victim and Offender: The abuser claims that they are actually the victim in the situation, thus reversing the positions of victim and offender. This often involves not just playing the victim but also victim blaming.
DARVO can be used by anyone in response to being held accountable for wrongdoings they have committed. It is frequently used and effective, although the number of people who are inclined to believe a DARVO response decreases once they understand the tactic.
It can be difficult to recognize an abuser using the DARVO tactic when you’re a survivor in the middle of it. However, education about the tactic can help mitigate its power to discredit victims.
