Theory development in child sexual abuse must both borrow theory from other fields and develop theory within the field itself. Theory perspectives from social psychology, moral development, anthropology, feminism, and the general field of human sexual behavior can be applied to child sexual abuse theory. Theory building within the field of child sexual abuse must focus on integrating two currently unconnected theory orientations: theories developed from work with offenders and those developed from work with victims and their families. Family systems theory has hampered this integration. New research directions might focus on prevalence and incidence studies, factors that put children at high risk for abuse, how boys' response to victimization differs from girls' responses, broader samples of offenders, and the effects of various intervention strategies. New practice directions should emphasize increasing case reporting, preventing child sexual abuse, and improving offender treatment. 29 references.