Data from several studies indicate that lesbian battering is more frequent than heterosexual battering, that no direct relationship exists between power and violence within couples, and that no direct relationship exists between structural patriarchy and wife assault. The author concludes that patriarchy must interact with psychological variables in order to account for the substantial variation in power-violence data. He suggests that some forms of psychopathology may cause some men to adopt patriarchal ideology to justify and rationalize their own pathology. Feminist views of woman assault are discussed, as well as the acceptance of violence, the link between power and violence, violence as a control tactic, homosexual relationships, and female violence. Therapy and policy implications of psychopathological features that interact with culture to reduce the risk of violence for women are explored. 82 references and 6 notes