This text is designed to provide a basic overview of the subject of family violence. Gelles and Cornell stress the need for an understanding of the operation and function of the entire family system before effective counseling and treatment can be applied. This volume examines all aspects of family violence including child and spouse abuse, sibling violence, adolescent maltreatment, parent abuse. Its focus is on physical violence with its central characteristics of malevolence and intent to harm. However, the nature of the intended harm — physical pain and suffering — is seen to be unique. The authors feel that physical violence must be treated separately from other acts such as verbal abuse or neglect, in order to determine both the caus