STUDY SUBJECTS INCLUDED 48 WOMEN CHARGED WITH MURDER, MANSLAUGHTER, AGGRAVATED ASSAULT, OR AGGRAVATED ROBBERY (HIGH ASSAULT GROUP); 56 CHARGED WITH SIMPLE ASSAULT (MILD ASSAULT GROUP); AND 66 CHARGED WITH AGGRAVATED FORGERY (NONASSAULTIVE COMPARISON GROUP). SUBJECTS WERE ASKED TO COMPLETE A 371-ITEM PERSONAL HISTORY QUESTIONNAIRE AND A MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY (MMPI). A SCALE MEASURING THE OVERCONTROLLED-HOSTILE (O-H) PERSONALITY TYPE SUCCESSFULLY DIFFERENTIATED THE HIGHLY ASSAULTIVE SUBJECTS FROM THE MILDLY ASSAULTIVE AND NONASSAULTIVE SUBJECTS, AND THE MILDLY ASSAULTIVE GROUP FROM THE NONASSAULTIVE GROUP. THE O-H SCALE MAY BE A MEASURE OF GENERAL ASSAULTIVE TENDENCIES IN WOMEN AND MAY IDENTIFY THE O-H PERSONALITY PATTERN OF DEALING WITH STRESS, WHICH IS CHARACTERIZED BY GENERAL COMPLIANCE, CONFORMITY, AND TOLERANCE PUNCTUATED WITH EPISODIC ASSAULTIVE OUTBURSTS. IN CONTRAST TO FINDINGS FROM STUDIES OF ASSAULTIVE MEN, AN ELEVATED SCORE ON THE MMPI HYSTERIA SCALE WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY CHARACTERISTIC OF VIOLENT OR ASSAULTIVE WOMEN. ALL OF THE SUBJECTS REPORTED NOTABLE EXPERIENCES AS VICTIMS OF BOTH PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL ASSAULTS. HIGHLY ASSAULTIVE WOMEN WERE MORE OFTEN THE VICTIMS OF PRIOR PHYSICAL ASSAULT OR ABUSE, AS WERE HIGH O-H-SCORING WOMEN. MILDLY ASSAULTIVE WOMEN REPORTED REPEATED INSTANCES OF RAPE OR SEXUAL MOLESTATION, AS DID LOW O-H-SCORING WOMEN. NON-ASSAULTIVE WOMEN OFFENDERS ALSO REPORTED EXPERIENCES WITH VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT, BUT THEIR EXPERIENCES WERE NOT AS FREQUENT AS THOSE OF THE OTHER GROUPS. STUDY INSTRUMENTS, SUPPORTING DATA, AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--LKM)