Eighty-six college-aged, heterosexual couples completed questionnaires and subsequently were interviewed separately in order to test the hypothesis derived from social exchange theory that higher levels of conflict or violence will be reported in dating relationships in which one partner has fewer external resources. External resources were identified as the dating partners' education and employment status and their parents' education, income, and socio-economic status. Approximately 51% of respondents acknowledged the existence of violence in their present relationships. The external resources that appear to be most significant for men are the employment status of each partner and their own parents' educational status. Conflict is also high when both partners are employed, suggesting that other resources such as "time spent together" are low. The lowest level of conflict reported by men is found when they are employed and their partners are not, while the second lowest levels are found when women are employed and men are not. General conflict experienced by women is slightly lower in each category. They do, however, follow the same pattern as men. Although there is no support for the hypothesis that there are higher levels of conflict in dating relationships for either men or women in which both partners have low family incomes, the men's parents' education appears to be significant for men and women. No hypotheses were supported for the relationship between resources and the use of violence by men against women. Nor does there appear to be a significant relationship between the employment status of the respondents, the educational status of the respondents' parents or the socio-economic status of the parents and the use of violence by women against men. However, there is a significant two-way interaction between income and the degree of violence used by women against men. Women use violence in relationships where there is an imbalance in the total family income; first when the man's income is high and the woman's is low, and second, when the man's income is low and the woman's is high. The degree to which women use violence against men is lowest when both partners have high family incomes and next lowest when both partners have low family income. Contains 12 references. (MSF)