Coerciveness

Coerciveness is the quality or state of being coercive, that is, using force, threats, or pressure to influence the actions or beliefs of others. In a broader scholarly context, coerciveness can refer to a property that compels certain outcomes.

In political science and international relations, coerciveness describes the ability to induce compliance through threats or punishment. Coercive diplomacy, sanctions, and force are studied as tools to shape state behavior.

In sociology and psychology, coercive patterns of control involve coercive actions used to dominate individuals or groups, sometimes across relationships or institutions. In legal contexts, coercion is typically defined as unlawful pressure that deprives a person of free choice.

In mathematics and optimization, the term coercivity (a common spelling) refers to a growth condition ensuring the existence of minimizers. A functional J is coercive if J(u) grows without bound as the norm ||u|| increases.

In materials science, coercivity (coercive field) describes the resistance of a ferromagnetic material to demagnetization; it is the external magnetic field required to reduce the magnetization to zero.

Coerciveness thus spans social, legal, mathematical, and physical contexts, with the precise meaning depending on the discipline.