This monograph addresses the assumptions underlying a resolution calling for a termination of the use of aversive procedures to modify the behavior of persons with severe disabilities that was passed in 1981 by the Executive Board of The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps. It provides both data and arguments to support the original concerns that led to passage of the resolution, going beyond the analysis of treatment efficiency, although that is included, to address how the history of using aversive procedures might have affected professional attitudes and perceptions towards persons with severe disabilities. The monograph (1) reviews the published studies that have used aversive procedures with persons who are disabled, especially individuals classified as mentally retarded or emotionally disturbed; (2) provides a demographic analysis of persons with disabilities, emphasizing the settings where these studies were conducted and the age of the subjects; (3) addresses issues related to the outcomes of the history of using aversive procedures as they affect both the behavior of the recipients of the procedures and those who use them. Issues raised include comparisons with populations of nondisabled persons, interpretive analyses concerning concepts of depersonalization, and the spread effect of using aversive procedures for questionable target behaviors. Twelve tables detail findings of the literature review; 16 additional tables are appended. (VW)