The subsample of respondents who reported marital violence was examined with regard to prior exposure to violence during childhood and adolescence: witnessing parental violence, child and adolescent abuse and victimization, and involvement in violence during adolescence. Marital violence measures included eight Conflict Tactics Scale items to measure physical violence. Results supported social learning as an important perspective in marital violence, although males and females were affected differently by their experiences with violence in childhood and adolescence. Prior experiences with violence had a more dramatic impact in the lives of females than in the lives of males during both adolescence and adulthood. Witnessing violence in the family of origin provided the background for learning violence by females. Witnessing violence was associated with higher rates of child abuse, adolescent victimization, and minor assault as an adolescent and resulted in greater stress and less marital satisfaction as an adult. Although no direct path from witnessing violence to marital violence was demonstrated, indirect paths occurred through several variables, including marital satisfaction. Prior victimization was an important learning mechanism among males, with direct paths to marital violence offending and victimization but with no significant impact on serious offending. Paths involving child abuse had no impact on marital violence offending or victimization for either sex. Scales used in the social learning model of marital violence are listed in an appendix. 32 references, 2 tables, and 4 figures