Incest & the Incestuous Family

According to Allgeier and Allgeier (1985):

In general, incest refers to any sexual interaction between people who are related closely enough so that marriage between them would be illegal. (p.579)

As defined by these authors, incest can take several forms: parent-child, grandparent-grandchild, and sibling-sibling. However, Nass, Libby and Fisher (1981) have noted that many scholars define incest more broadly, including more relatives than those in the immediate family (e.g. cousins) as well as step-relatives, and in-laws. The authors feel that the broader definition is troublesome in that it includes relationships that are more contractual than incestuous; for example, a married woman who has sexual intercourse with her brother-in-law would be engaging in a incestuous relationship under the broader definition.

Evans (1988) defines incest as one form of sexual boundary violations characteristic of sexual abuse. What distinguishes Evan's definition from the just cited definitions is that it includes a coercive element; and it is coercion that is typically of most incestuous relationships because in most a child is involved. This coercive element does not necessarily refer to th

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al boundaries is pivotal to the formation of one's identity or self-perception. She reports that if these boundaries are not developed and maintained, there can be no positive identity or health expressions of intimacy. The incestuous act, Evans states, obstructs the healthy development of identity (self-perception) formation and, therefore, leads to negative consequences such as fear of intimacy, guilt, anger, issues with touch and fear of abandonment--all of which Evans view as manifestations of a shame-based identity. A study of family structure, marital power, maternal aloofness, and fathers' alcohol consumption was conducted by de Chesnay, Marshall and Clements (1988) using a sample of families receiving therapy for father-daughter incest. Family structure was defined in terms of several attributes, e.g. households consisting of both biologic parents, households consisting of one biologic parent and one step-parent. Some families were said to be Disorganized (characterized by continuous changes in family structure owing to parental separations, parental promiscuity, etc.) while other families were said to be Organized (characterized as nuclear, stable, and not promiscuous). Regarding family structure, de Chesnay, Marshall
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Libby Fisher, Marshall Clements, Anorexia Nervosa, Boss Johnson, Johnson Flach, Kog Vandereycken, DSM III, Kwonia Guinea, Allgeier Allgeier, Rosman Baker, family structure, anorexia nervosa, eating disorder, eating disorders, sexual abuse, bulimia nervosa, incest taboo, family environment, anorexic families, kog vandereycken 1989, natal fathers, de chesnay marshall, chesnay marshall clements, journal eating disorders, johnson flach 1985,
Approximate Word count = 4304
Approximate Pages = 17 (250 words per page)

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