THE REVIEW IS DIVIDED INTO THREE PARTS: AN EXAMINATION OF THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF EXISTING THEORIES REGARDING CHILDHOOD FIRESETTING, A REVIEW OF THE MAJOR ARTICLES CONCERNED SPECIFICALLY WITH FIRESETTING IN CHILDREN, AND AN EXAMINATION OF PAPERS OF RELATED INTEREST. THE REVIEW ILLUSTRATES THREE ASSUMPTIONS WHICH ARE BEST UNDERSTOOD IN A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE. FIRST, FREUD'S COMMENTS ABOUT AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN FIRESETTING AND ENURESIS HAVE GREATLY INFLUENCED SUBSEQUENT WRITING. FOUR MAJOR STUDIES ON CHILDHOOD FIRESETTING PRESENT DATA BY WHICH PERCENTAGE FIGURES FOR ENURESIS CAN BE DETERMINED. THE PREVALENCE RANGES FROM 9 TO 46 PERCENT, WITH AN AVERAGE FOR ALL FOUR STUDIES OF 14 PERCENT. A SECOND ASSUMPTION SUGGESTED BY THE REVIEW OF THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND CONCERNS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FIRESETTING IN ADOLESCENCE AND DECREASED INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT. GERMAN AND FRENCH WRITERS HAVE FREQUENTLY CONCLUDED THAT FIRESETTING IS MOST PREVALENT IN RETARDED, ADOLESCENT GIRLS. HOWEVER, THIS ASSUMPTION IS DIFFICULT TO EXAMINE SINCE SEVERAL AUTHORS DID NOT LOOK AT INTELLECTUAL FUNCTIONING, AND AT LEAST ONE EXCLUDED MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN FROM THE SAMPLE. A THIRD ASSUMPTION UNDERLYING MUCH OF THE THINKING ON FIRESETTING IS ITS ASSOCIATION WITH SEXUAL PROBLEMS. EARLY PSYCHOANALYSTS SAW FIRESETTING AS RELATED TO A REGRESSION FROM A GENITAL TO PHALLIC-URETHRAL MODE OF FUNCTIONING. THIS EARLY EMPHASIS MADE SEXUAL PROBLEMS APPEAR PRIMARY; BUT LATER ANALYTIC WRITINGS, WHILE NOT DENYING THE INFLUENCE OF SEXUAL FACTORS, HAVE ALSO EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF AN AGGRESSIVE COMPONENT IN FIRESETTING. A COMPREHENSIVE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY IS NEEDED TO PROVIDE DATA REGARDING THE INCIDENCE AND PREVALENCE OF CHILDHOOD FIRESETTING AND TO CLARIFY ITS RELATIONSHIP TO SUCH DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES AS SEX, AGE, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, RACE, AND FAMILY SIZE. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (KBL)