A descriptive, cycle model of wife battering is comprised of three phases, i.e., tension-building, the explosion of an acute battering, and respite or reconciliation, with distinctions between minor batterings and the acute batterings that are uncontrollable and result in major destruction. To test the hypothesis that every battering episode constitutes a cycle, and that this micro-cycle is a direct parallel of the anxiety arousal model of the delay of punishment paradigm, 32 women with male spouses participated in a study of the micro-cycle of wife battering. Subjects completed a semi-structured interview format collecting sociodemographic information, the Conflict Tactics Scale, and a detailed questionnaire concerning the events surrounding the development and resolution of marital conflicts. Analyses indicated that the micro-cycle and anxiety arousal models were appropriate experimental analogues of non-battering as well as battering couples' conflicts. The findings suggest that a social learning approach to the issue of wife battering is appropriate and fruitful. (Author/MCF)