A study involving 22 fathers and 21 mothers was conducted to explore several personality characteristics of child abusive parents which may set them apart from nonabusive peers. A social history was taken, and each parent completed both the Motivation Analysis Test (MAT) and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). Among findings were the following: the average mother did not finish high school and came from a family of four children; child abusing fathers obtained the most frequent low points on MMPI paranoia and social introversion scales; abusive parents, according to MAT data, tend strongly to be individuals whose wants and needs are not being satisfied. (SBH)