In a preliminary study, feedback from battered women, along with a review of the relevant literature, was used to identify specific verbal insults used by men toward abused intimate partners. These insults were used in developing the Partner-Directed Insults Scale (PDIS). The PDIS was validated in two studies that showed the PDIS identified verbal insults that successfully predicted the men's use of controlling behavior and physical violence. In the PDIS, specific verbal insults are categorized according to their derogation of the woman's physical attractiveness, value as a partner/mental competency, and value as a person, as well as accusations of sexual infidelity. The PDIS was validated through two studies, one that involved a sample of United States participants and one that involved a sample of New Zealand participants. In the U.S. study, the PDIS was administered to 134 men and 193 women attending a South Florida university. The New Zealand study involved 113 men and 185 women who were attending a university in New Zealand. 7 tables and 30 references