The analysis emphasizes that parents vary in their likelihood of having a nonviolent relationship with their children, based on their ability to live comfortably with the stressors that characterize those who abuse their children. Thus, violence becomes more likely if obstacles exist to impede the growth of the natural partnership that should develop between the parent and the child. Among these obstacles are the absence or distortion of attachments in the parent's childhood, self-imposed isolation or social withdrawal, poverty, and/or difficulty in the pregnancy or birth. Larger numbers of obstacles increase the likelihood of child abuse, but no specific event or series of events directly leads to parental violence. However, the role of parental attachment issues and needs is central to understanding and identifying the propensity for violence. Thus, researchers and clinicians must understand the possibility of parental rejection of a child, the possibility of parent-child competition, and the contributions of scarce resources in the environment if they are to develop more constructive approaches for reducing child abuse. Tables and 77 references.