The article examines how violence and abuse develop and whether they are so common that they should be considered developmentally normal or are connected to important individual, family and cultural experiences that can be addressed early. The article examines the dynamics of adolescent intimate relationships and suggests that clinicians consider relationship difficulties with romantic partners as possible issues accompanying more visible adolescent concerns such as substance abuse, safe sex, and antisocial activities. The article examines risk factors for dating violence, including a history of maltreatment, alcohol and drug use, relationship conflict, socioeconomic disadvantage, early attachment problems, attitudes justifying violence, and exposure to community violence. It also considers links between adolescent friendship, romance, and conflict resolution as potential pathways to marital violence later in life, gender differences in patterns of relationship violence, and protective factors. References