In this volume, the concept of motivation is used to shed light on a range of complex issues surrounding the maltreatment of children. Cathy Spatz Widom investigates the role of motivation in the intergenerational transmission of violence, where victimized children themselves become perpetrators of violence as adults. Joel S. Milner looks at the way abusive parents process social information related to children. The biological, psychological, and social-contextual regulatory processes in maltreated children are considered by Dante Cicchetti and Sheree L. Toth. Deborah Daro discusses the current status of efforts to eliminate maltreatment of children and offers an alternative model for approaching the concept and practice of prevention. John R. Lutzker addresses the challenges of and procedures for applied research on the treatment of abusive parents. In his concluding essay Ross A. Thompson highlights the important themes focusing on child maltreatment that underlie this volume.

Table of ContentsPreface - Richard A. Deinstbeir Introduction - David J. Hansen, University of Nebraska, LincolnMotivation and Mechanisms in the "Cycle of Violence' - Cathy Spatz Widom, SUNY, AlbanySocial Information Processing and Child Physical Abuse - Joel S. Milner, Northen Illinois UniveristySelf-Regulatory Processes in Maltreated Children - Dante Cicehetti, University of Rochester and Sheree L. Toth, University of RochesterChild Abuse Prevention: New Directions and Challenges - Deborah Daro, National Center on Child Abuse PreventionBalancing Research and Treatment in Child Maltreatment: The Quest for Good Data and Practical Service - John R. Lutzker, University of Judaism Understanding the Dynamics of Child Maltreatment: Child Harm, Family Healing, and Public Policy (Discussant's Commentary) - Ross A. Thompson, University of Nebraska, Lincoln