EXPLANATIONS OF MURDERS COMMITTED BY WOMEN GENERALLY HAVE BEEN SIMPLISTIC REFLECTIONS OF STEREOTYPED VIEWS. THE WOMAN WHO MURDERS IS PORTRAYED AS FASCINATING AND MYSTERIOUS IN SEXIST ACCOUNTS THAT FOCUS ALMOST ENTIRELY ON SEXUALITY AS THE ROOT OF ALL FEMALE BEHAVIOR. SUCH ACCOUNTS ALSO REFLECT SOCIETY'S TENDENCY TO DICHOTOMIZE WOMEN--GOOD OR BAD, MOTHERS OR PROSTITUTES, THE GENTLER SEX OR THE MORE DEADLY SPECIES. SEXIST EXPLANATIONS ALSO OVEREMPHASIZE THE DEVIANT CHARACTER OF MURDER BY WOMEN AND IGNORE ITS SOCIAL CONTEXT, INCLUDING RACE AND CLASS ISSUES. THAT WOMEN COMMIT SUBSTANTIALLY FEWER MURDERS THAN MEN IS UNDERSTANDABLE IN CULTURAL TERMS. FEMALES ARE SOCIALIZED TO BE LESS AGGRESSIVE, ARE MORE CLOSELY SUPERVISED, AND ARE MORE STRICTLY TAUGHT TO CONFORM TO RIGID STANDARDS, WHEREAS MALES ARE REWARDED FOR AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIORS. AGGRESSIVE ROLE MODELS ABOUND FOR MEN GENERALLY BUT ARE LACKING FOR WOMEN. WOMEN ALSO HAVE BEEN MORE RESTRICTED IN THE SPHERES OF ACTIVITY OPEN TO THEM AND IN THE TYPES OF ENCOUNTERS THEY HAVE. THAT WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY THAN MEN TO MURDER ANOTHER FAMILY MEMBER IS ALSO UNDERSTANDABLE. WOMEN TRADITIONALLY HAVE SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF TIME AT HOME, AND THEIR INTERACTIONS HAVE BEEN CONFINED TO FAMILY MEMBERS. ANOTHER 'FACT' ABOUT WOMEN WHO MURDER--THAT THEY ARE MORE DISTURBED THAN THEIR MALE COUNTERPARTS--IS OPEN TO QUESTION. THIS VIEW IS WIDELY HELD BY PRISON PSYCHIATRISTS, WARDENS, AND OTHERS BUT MAY ACTUALLY BE A REFLECTION OF THE DIFFICULTIES AND BIASES IN PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSIS. ONE USEFUL APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING MURDER BY WOMEN IS AN EXPLORATION OF PSYCHODYNAMIC PATTERNS SUCH AS THAT UNDERTAKEN IN A CALIFORNIA STUDY THAT IDENTIFIED SIX PERSONALITY STYLES--MASOCHISTIC, OVERTLY HOSTILE, COVERTLY HOSTILE, PSYCHOTIC, AMORAL, AND INADEQUATE--IN WOMEN WHO MURDER. THE RISE OF FEMINISM IS BRINGING GREATER DEPTH TO THE STUDY OF WOMEN WHO MURDER. MANY OF THE MORE ENLIGHTENING STUDIES ARE BEING PERFORMED BY WOMEN. (LKM)