The central concern of this paper is to unravel the links between men's use of violence and their perceptions and understandings of the functions that violence serves. To these ends, the accounts of twenty violent men, convicted of either killing or violently assaulting other men are examined. The interview data suggest that regardless of the specific nature of violent acts, i.e whether they involve lethal outcomes or not, or whether they are the result of some spontaneous disagreement or are planned, some common goals seem to unite many of the acts. Specifically these goals appear to revolve around the need to control other individuals as well as one's own social identity and are intrinsically linked to the men's wish to project and protect a particular kind of masculine image.