Incest The purpose of this paper is to re

The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on incest. To this end, the paper begins with definitional statements about the topic. The history and etiology of incest are then examined; and, finally, articles on the structure of the incestuous family are explored.

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 r

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bly established. The most major of these family features were that: 1. Incestuous situations are initiated by the parent (typically the father) in a nonthreatening manner. Indeed, in more current research, Berliner and Conte (1990) report that the sexual offender usually uses the method of justifying his actions to the child and persuading that the behavior is acceptable. 2. Incest occurs in families at all socioeconomic levels. 3. The incestuous father was often deserted or mistreated in childhood by his own father; sometimes the mistreatment was in fact sexual in nature. He is a man who dominates and intimidates his wife and children. He tends to be a heavy drinker with low impulse control and a pervasive sense of personal inadequacy. 4. The mother in incestuous father-child households often is aloof toward her daughter, confused about her own sexual identity, and evidences a tendency to slowly abdicate her household responsibilities to the daughter. Consequently there is a blurring of generational roles which fosters violation of the cultural prohibition on incest. Since most of the reported incestuous situations involve father-daughter incest, much of the research is focused on determining family structure i

Category: Psychology - I