Interpersonal violence results in deleterious outcomes both to society and to the individuals directly involved. Despite the prevalence of interpersonal violence, the research literature has remained surprisingly silent on the nature of social interactions that give rise to aggression and conflict. The current study explored the social context of naturally occurring physical aggression among adults by comparing factors such as alcohol consumption and the prevalence, gender, and aggressive acts of participants across various social contexts. Participants were 1,753 adults selected through random-digit dialing who completed telephone interviews probing their experiences of physical aggression, the social context of the incident, the relationships among the main participants, type of incident, resulting injury, emotional impact, and alcohol consumption by participants. Results of statistical analyses indicated that male participants were more likely to encounter aggression in bar settings and other public places and were more likely to have consumed alcohol prior to the incident. Aggression by males in bars and other public places also tended to include more than two participants and to have a low emotional impact. Females were as likely as males to report physical aggression in social gatherings, most involving friends or acquaintances. Aggression in the home was more likely to be reported by female respondents, to involve only two participants, and to have a high emotional impact. Future research should systematically explore the contextual differences associated with victimization, perpetration, and mutual aggression. Tables, notes, references