THE OBJECT RELATIONS THEORY IS A PSYCHOANALYTIC APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF THE INTERNALIZATION OF INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS. IT IS USED TO STUDY HOW INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS DETERMINE INTRAPSYCHIC STRUCTURES AND HOW INTRAPSYCHIC STRUCTURES PRESERVE, MODIFY, AND REACTIVATE PAST INTERNALIZED RELATIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF PRESENT INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS. IN ORDER TO ADEQUATELY TEST HYPOTHESES AND INFERENCES DERIVED THROUGH USE OF THE OBJECT RELATIONS THEORY IT WOULD BE NECESSARY TO HAVE DETAILED KNOWLEDGE OF BOTH THE SUBJECT'S EARLY EXPERIENCES, PARTICULARLY THOSE EXPERIENCED DURING THE EXTREMELY IMPRESSIONABLE AGES 1 TO 3 YEARS), AND THE SUBJECT'S LATER LIFE. THIS WOULD ENABLE THE ANALYST TO DISCERN HOW THESE EARLY EXPERIENCES HAVE MANIFESTED THEMSELVES IN LATER LIFE. BECAUSE THE NATURE OF PSYCHOANALYTIC RESERCH RARELY PERMITS EXTENSIVE FOLLOW-UPS OF CHILD SUBJECTS AND CHILDHOOD INFORMATION DERIVED FROM ADULT SUBJECTS IS UNRELIABLE, IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT TO TEST THE USEFULNESS OF THE OBJECT RELATIONS THEORY. THIS LIMITATION CAN BE OVERCOME BY ANALYZING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE BATTERED CHILD AND THE BATTERING PARENT WHO WAS HIMSELF A BATTERED CHILD. RESEARCH HAS INDICATED THAT THE BATTERED CHILD SYNDROME IS HIGHLY REPETITIOUS. IT HAS BEEN OBSERVED AND DOCUMENTED IN ONE FAMILY OVER A SPAN OF THREE GENERATIONS. BY STUDYING BOTH THE PARENT AND THE CHILD, THE RESEARCHER CAN TEST THE OBJECT RELATIONS THEORY WITH RESPECT TO ONE NARROW MODE OF BEHAVIOR. (MPK)