It was hypothesized that most of the violence of battered women would be a self-defense response. Another question examined was whether the women would distinguish self- defensive violence from violence labeled "fighting back." About 75 percent of the sample of 52 battered women who participated in the study engaged in some form of nonsevere violence. Two of the categories identified as severe violence were engaged in by 50 percent to 60 percent of the women. About 8 percent of the women acknowledged "beating up" their partners or using a knife or a gun. About 40 percent of those who used severe violence indicated that this violence was in self-defense. Another one-third of the women reported all of their severe violence to be "fighting back." The study findings reinforce the contention that marital violence events need to be studied in context. 4 tables and 56 references