The Iowa State University students completed anonymous questionnaires on their attitudes, personal experiences, and judgments of case studies regarding both physical aggression between intimates and episodes of forced sex. The individuals who had had experiences in both victim and abuser roles had lower victim empathy than did other respondents and also indicated that they could more equally imagine the feelings of both victim and abuser during a battering episode. Most respondents who had experienced violent episodes declined to call these battering, regardless of whether they had been victims or abusers. However, those who were more seriously injured were more willing than others to call a personal experience 'battering.' Past experiences with violence and the victim's level of resistance were also important determinants in the labeling process. Findings indicated both that the nature of the victim's reaction in an abusive episode has pervasive effects on evaluations and perceptions of the event and that the person's own history has a crucial influence on perceptions. Tables, figures, notes, and 21 references.