THE ORIGIN AND MAINTENANCE of the incest taboo have been sources of interest and debate for decades in a number of different disciplines. The universality of the taboo, in one form or another, has served to fuel the discussions. Nested within differences in the theorists' orientations and conclusions is a consensus that, with very few exceptions, sexual intercourse is prohibited between members of the nuclear family who are not spouses -- father-child, mother-child, son-sibling, daughter-sibling. Most cultures extend the prohibition beyond the nuclear family to include grandparents, uncles, aunts, nieces, and nephews, both consanguine and affinal (see Fox, 1967, and Schusky, 1972, for examples). Further from the nuclear family, parallel cousins are usually proscribed as sexual partners and cross-cousins often are similarly proscribed. Different cultures then extend the taboo to other kin, depending on the specifics of the culture and its current and historical circumstances. There is then the alignment of prohibitions against sexual intercourse (a mating strategy) with marriage prohibitions: If sexual intercourse is prohibited, so is marriage. Review of Theories Reasons for the origin and prevalence of the incest taboo in its many forms include the following: (a) It is a mechanism for avoiding inbreeding and thereby lowering the incidence of genetic abnormalities ( Fox, 1967, 1980; Shepher, 1983); (b) it is a product of human instinct ( Lowie, 1920); (c) it is a consequence of early, close, intimate contact during childhood, that is, imprinting ( Fox, 1980; Shepher, 1983; Westermarck, 1891; Wolf, 1966; cf. Erickson, 1993); (d) it is a product of psychodynamics ( Fox, 1980; Freud, 1913 / 1950); (e) it is a prevention of sex... ... middle of paper ... ...d at the 74th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association. Winfield I., George L. K., Swartz M., & Blazer D. G. ( 1990). "Sexual assault and psychiatric disorders among a community sample of women." American Journal of Psychiatry, 147, 334-341. Wolf A. P. ( 1966). "Childhood association, sexual attraction, and the incest taboo: A Chinese case." American Anthropologist, 68, 883-893. Wyatt G. E., Newcomb M., Reederle M., & Notgrass C. ( 1993). Sexual abuse and consensual sex: Women's developmental patterns and outcomes. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Yates A. ( 1978). Sex without shame: Encouraging the child's healthy sexual development. New York: Morrow. Zeitlin S. B., McNally R. J., & Cassiday K. L. ( 1993). "Alexithymia in victims of sexual assault: An effect of repeated traumatization?" American Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 661-663. Received May 16, 1996
In the discourse of family relations, views of women, and sex, it is necessary to begin with the standing that Catholicism held on the issues. The nuclear family model was the ideal of the Catholic Church; for this model provided protection, stability, and business connections. Ozment describes the nuclear family as the “total subjection of the wife to home and husband, of the home to the production of children, and of the children to the will of their parents” (Ozment, pg. 2). This view provides that a woman’s only purpose in life was to marry and bear children; if this was not viable she could enter the convent as not to be a finical burden upon her family. The Catholic Church also had strict views on the topic of sex, which was no sex outside of marriage and only in marriage to procreate. This view was held for the Church believed that “an upright person took pleasure only in God and used the things of the world to God’s glory, fallen men and women were enslaved to their lust and passions, no longer masters of their wills, and eager to worship the world in place of its creator” (Ozment, pg....
Based on an article by the National Alert Registry by Dr. Herbert Wagemaker, four percent of the population suffers from sexual orientation toward children. In 1999, 93,000 kids were sexually abused. 50% of the abusers were parents of th...
If a society is going to endure beyond a single generation, there is a need to promote and foster appropriate reproductive practices within the group. Very few societies have chosen to do this by allowing unregulated sex. Stigmas are placed on children born out of wedlock because many societies had paternal inheritance patterns. The sons were guaranteed the majority of the inheritance, and the daughters only a bride price, or gift that was given to their husband’s family for taking the daughter. We can almost always determine who is actually the mother of a child, but it is much more difficult to determine who is the father. As societies increased in complexity, and the amount people possessed and were able to pass on grew, it became necessary to assure paternity. The institution of marriage was one solution to this problem. As laws became more sophisticated, written records of adultery, divorce, and inheritance laws appear. By placing legal and social stigmas on inappropriate reproduction, we can assure a citizen, within the limits of human error, that it is actually his son who is his inheritor. This increases his desire to produce and acquire, and is generally beneficial to society. Sumeria was one of the first civilizations to come to reach this conclusion, and as is the case with many of their other laws, their ideas about love and marriage spread throughout the civilized world and still have some sway in the modern era.
Goode (Hale 1995, 342-343) argues that the whole concept of a family is rooted in sexual drives and the imperative of reproduction and in the sociological imperative of creating a social being.
If the new legislation were passed the law would also specify that incest is “sexual intercourse or sodomy” between “grandparent of the whole blood or half blood, aunt of the whole blood or the half blood, uncle of the whole blood or the half blood”(House Bill 534). The legislation also repeals “any laws or parts of laws in conflict” with the bill (House Bill 534). The most recent log in this bill’s status history was on April the second of 2015 when it was “House Withdrawn, Recommitted”(House Bill
Sexual abuse happens more to teenage girls than teenage boys. Most teens that report sexual abuse have the highest odds of being pregnant. Teen pregnancy can cause a lot of health problems because they are young. This type of abuse can be very emotional for someone to deal with. “Has any adult or older person outside the family ever touched you sexually against your wishes or forced you to touch them sexually?” (Saewyc 98-105). Being sexually abused could hur...
When Africans were brought to America during slavery they were forced to give up most of their heritage and were usually separated from their families. This common occurrence usually brought about tremendous pain and grief to the slaves. “West Africa family systems were severely repressed throughout the New World (Guttmann, 1976)”. Some slaves tried to continue practices, such as polygamy, that were a part of traditional African cultures but were unsuccessful. However, they were successful in continuing the traditional African emphasis on the extended family. In the extended family, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents played important roles. Slaves weren’t allowed to marry, but they didn’t let that stop them, they created their own marriages. And through all the hardships they had placed on them, they developed strong emotional bonds and family ties. The slaves discouraged casual sexual relationships and placed a lot emphasis on marriage and stability. To maintain some family identity, parents named their children after themselves or other relatives or sometimes gave them African names.
Incest and Sexism What role incest and sexism play in Shakespeare ’s play Hamlet? This complex play exhibits themes such as incest, sexism, death, revenge, and love. The two that we will be focusing on are incest and sexism.
The National Center on Sexual Behavior of Youth at the Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, Initials. (2003). what research shows about. Unpublished manuscript, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, The University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Retrieved from ncsby.org
Incest is not something that happens to “those people over there” the ones across town who don’t wash very often. It happens to all strata of society, at all economic levels, and in all ethnic groups.
Suzette Heald wrote an article, Joking and Avoidance, Hostility and Incest: An Essay on Gisu Moral Categories, about joking and avoidance relationships
Incest has long been considered as taboo. Almost every country has restrictions and laws condemning incestuous relationships/marriages. These relationships between siblings, parents and even distant relative are often thought of in a negative light. Yet, despite the social rejection of incestuous relationships nowadays, there was a time when interfamilial relationships were accepted. In this essay, we will explore the subject of incest through two academic disciplines – literature and criminal justice. More specifically, we will examine one scholarly work for each discipline: Family Likeness: Sex, Marriage and Incest from Jane Austen to Virginia Woolf by Mary Jean Corbett, which uses examples from literature to explore the topic of incest and
...sed study of childhood sexual contact in China: Prevalence and long-term consequences. Child Abuse & Neglect: The International Journal, 32(7), 721-731.
The incest taboo is, therefore, a cultural trait. Protective of the efficient mechanism of the family, society sought to minimize disruption to its activities and to the clear flows of authority, responsibilities, material wealth and information horizontally and vertically. Incest threatened to unravel this magnificent creation. Alarmed by the possible consequences (internal and external feuds, a rise in the level of aggression and violence) – society introduced the taboo. It came replete with physical and emotional sanctions: stigmatization, revulsion and horror, imprisonment, the demolition of the errant and socially mutant family cell. As long as societies revolve around the relegation of power, its sharing, its acquisition and dispensation – there will always exist an incest taboo. But in a different society and culture, it is conceivable not to have such a taboo. This would be either utopian or dystopian, depending on the reader.
It is most important to understand that children and teens of all racial, religious, ethnic, gender and age groups, at all socio-economic levels are sexually abused. Although there are risk factors that may increase the possibility of sexual abuse, sex abuse can be found in all types of families, communities, and cultures (The Scope of, 2016). Childhood sexual abuse is an important issue to address because the impact of sexual does not end when the abuse ends. Childhood trauma follows into adulthood and can have long-range effects. “Survivors of sexual abuse are at significantly greater risks for severe and chronic mental health issues, including alcoholism, depression, anxiety, PTSD and high risk behaviors” (The Scope Of, 2016). Victims may experience traumatic sexualization, or the shaping of their sexuality in “developmentally inappropriate” and “interpersonally dysfunctional” ways (Effects of Child, 2012). “A child who is the victim of prolonged sexual abuse usually develops low self-esteem, a feeling of worthlessness and an abnormal or distorted view of sex. The child may become withdrawn and mistrustful of adults, and can become suicidal” (Effects of Child, 2012). Overall, the effects and impact of childhood sexual abuse are long lasting and do not diminish when the abuse ends, their childhood trauma follows them into