The most common way that batterers attempted to excuse their violent behavior was by an appeal to loss of control. Six (33 percent) of the batterers maintained that alcohol or drugs had diminished their self control. Victim blaming emerged as another common way for these men to excuse their violence. Trivialization of the woman's injuries was apparent in the accounts of eight (44 percent) of the men. For some men, this took the form of a denial that the behavior was violent. At the individual level, the excuses and justifications of the batterer obscure his self-interest in acting violently; at the societal level, they mask the male domination underlying violence against women. 36 references