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
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
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.
They sought to establish this by discouraging marriages that were unfavorable in terms of eugenics by attaching to them the stigmas associated with marriage between cousins.
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.
Child sexual abuse is defined as “the involvement of a child in sexual activity that he or she does not fully comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to, or for which the child is not developmentally prepared, or else that violates the laws or social taboos of society” (Ajduković, Sušac, and Rajter 470). In Bastard out of Carolina, Ruth Ann “Bone” Boatwright started experiencing sexual child abuse from her stepfather at the age of twelve, which changed aspects of her life forever. Coincidentally, it was proven through research that young girls between the ages of 13 and 16 suffered sexual abuse by adult men that they knew previously (Ajduković, Sušac, and Rajter 475). While it could be a family member, an acquaintance, or a friend, the feelings of betrayal remain the same.
Schulman blames legalization of homosexual marriage as the cause for the possible permission of incest. However, this is like saying that if marijuana were to be legalized, it will lead to the acceptance of cocaine. Even when homosexuals do achieve their legal rights, currently only given to heterosexual married couples; it will not give rise to the legalization of incestuous relationships and incestuous marriages. Legalizing gay marriage will not pose any threat to the structure of society.
Finkelhor, D., Hotaling, G., Lewis, I., & Smith, C. (1990). Sexual abuse in a national survey of
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....
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.
Tidefors, I., Arvidsson, H., & Ingevaldson, S. (2010). Sibling incest: A literate review and clinical study. Journal of Sexual Agression, 348-358.
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.
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
Incest in A Thousand Acres invades all the other items: it is there, and is crucial for everything that happens, but it is hidden beneath the surface of appearances.
...sed study of childhood sexual contact in China: Prevalence and long-term consequences. Child Abuse & Neglect: The International Journal, 32(7), 721-731.
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