The first three chapters put family violence in a cultural context. One chapter discusses the problems and controversies involved in defining family violence and abuse, with attention to the varying perspective found in the legal, medical, and social-service professions, as well as the general public. This chapter then introduces a cognitive-affective-ecological conceptual approach for examining family violence. This is the unifying framework for the book. This approach places family violence in the interplay of the genetically and environmentally based beliefs/attitudes and feelings of individual family members in interaction with one another and the current environments of the family and its individual members. The second chapter discusses the contemporary and ecological context of family violence in the United States, including the role of culture in contributing to, maintaining, and providing rationalizations for violence in interpersonal relationships. The third chapter considers a specific cultural context, i.e., religious affiliations and values, with reference to tolerance for violence in families. Eight chapters discuss specific types of aggression in family relationships. These include child physical abuse, child sexual abuse, and child neglect and psychological maltreatment. Chapters on aggression within adult intimate relationships address abuse toward wives, husbands, and gays and lesbians. Also discussed is elder abuse in a family context and violence against siblings, parents, and people with disabilities. All of these chapters begin with illustrative case studies, followed by definitional issues and information on the particular type of aggression. Predictors and correlates are discussed, followed by data on the possible consequences of each type of aggression. Efforts at preventing and intervening in family violence are described. Chapter summaries, 1,122 references, and author and subject indexes