The variables included exposure to aggression between parents or between parents and children in the family of origin, attitudes justifying dating aggression when humiliated or in self-defense, child-to-parent aggression, child sexual abuse, violent sexual victimization, alcohol use, and socioeconomic status. The participants reported on their own aggressive behaviors directed toward dating partners. Results revealed that together, the predictor variables accounted for 41 percent of the variance in male- to-female violence, but only 16 percent of the female-to- male violence. Humiliation, as a justification for dating aggression, contributed to the prediction of both males' and females' dating aggression, while self-defense, although a highly endorsed condition for justifying dating aggression, did not predict actual aggressive behavior. Other variables also had similar or different impacts on the behavior of males and females. Findings indicate the importance of examining specific circumstances under which males and females justify dating violence and how attitudes condoning aggression affect actual behaviors. Tables and 63 references (Author abstract modified)