It reviews attempts by psychologists and others to define and conceptualize the term 'situation,' giving particular attention to accounts that may be useful for the individual prediction of violence. Four issues are identified that are important in conceptualizing situations. These are the definitions of a situation, the size of the environmental unit, the perceived versus the actual situation, and the interactive nature of persons and situations. Existing works on the classifications and dimensions of environments are reviewed. The major situational correlates of violent behavior are discussed, and the family, peer, and work environments are suggested to be the most promising areas for violence prediction. Situational approaches to studying violent behavior are proposed with emphasis on how one model for studying person-situation interactions (Bem and Funder, 1978) could be implemented for violence prediction. A chart and about 90 references are included. (Author summary modified)