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.