Child abuse is a significant problem. Yet research to illuminate the problem has been limited by methodological problems, such as conflicting definitions of child abuse and lack of specificity. The traditional and theoretical models forwarded to account for abusing behavior suffer from major deficiencies despite the many attempts by professional agencies to intervene based on these models. The psychiatric model, the legal model, and the social welfare model of child abuse behavior are all flawed. Until recently, abusing parents have been the sole focus of concern and research, and until the balance is redressed, when there is a greater understanding of the child's role and how this interacts with the parent's role, then both models and interventions will often be inadequate. Social learning theory offers a comprehensive framework for understanding violence towards children, and recent research suggests that interventions based on social learning theory have yielded promising data. A distinctive feature of social learning theory is that people are not passive recipients of environmental stimuli nor driven by inner forces. Rather, psychological functioning is explained as a continuous reciprocal interaction of personal and environmental determinants. Nearly the whole range of learned behaviors can be acquired and modified through observational learning. Although a behavioral approach to intervention, based on social learning theory, may be effective, much effort must be directed to prevention. Parental education is the long-term goal. About 90 references are included.