This report defines domestic violence as a method of maintaining control through the use of force. An historical perspective is presented which describes the many centuries during which men legally wielded absolute power over their wives and children, who were considered to be chattel of the husband. Different hypotheses suggest various causal factors for child and spouse abuse, including psychiatric and psycho-social disorders, and sociopolitical causes. Violence usually enters a marriage early, in a relatively innocuous form, but over time it changes as does the marital relationship. Types of behavior (on the part of the abused) considered to be provocative are listed, including nagging, aggression, submission, dominance, or emasculation. Among these types, the only discernible pattern is that the behavior represents a woman's failure or refusal to comply with her husband's wishes. Numerous personal, social, and material reasons why women fail to make a permanent break from a violent relationship are discussed. The paper concludes with societal responses: the critical role played by police; the judicial response; shelters that provide services to women and children; ways in which physicians can assist victims; and a description of a unique private sector initiative to aid battered women. (LL)