On the Incest Taboo

							Title:
On the Incest Taboo

Word Count:
1893

Summary:
In contemporary thought, incest is
invariably associated with child ab
use and its horrific, long-lasting,
 and often irreversible consequence
s.


Keywords:



Article Body:
"...An experience with an adult may
 seem merely a curious and pointles
s game, or it may be a hideous trau
ma leaving lifelong psychic scars.
In many cases the reaction of paren
ts and society determines the child
's interpretation of the event. Wha
t would have been a trivial and soo
n-forgotten act becomes traumatic i
f the mother cries, the father rage
s, and the police interrogate the c
hild."
(Encyclopedia Britannica, 2004 Editi
on)

In contemporary thought, incest is
invariably associated with child ab
use and its horrific, long-lasting,
 and often irreversible consequence
s. Incest is not such a clear-cut m
atter as it has been made out to be
 over millennia of taboo. Many part
icipants claim to have enjoyed the
act and its physical and emotional
consequences. It is often the resul
t of seduction. In some cases, two
consenting and fully informed adult
s are involved.

Many types of relationships, which
are defined as incestuous, are betw
een genetically unrelated parties (
a stepfather and a daughter), or be
tween fictive kin or between classi
ficatory kin (that belong to the sa
me matriline or patriline). In cert
ain societies (the Native American
or the Chinese) it is sufficient to
 carry the same family name (=to be
long to the same clan) and marriage
 is forbidden.
Some incest prohibitions relate to
sexual acts - others to marriage. I
n some societies, incest is mandato
ry or prohibited, according to the
social class (Bali, Papua New Guine
a, Polynesian and Melanesian island
s). In others, the Royal House star
ted a tradition of incestuous marri
ages, which was later imitated by l
ower classes (Ancient Egypt, Hawaii
, Pre-Columbian Mixtec). Some socie
ties are more tolerant of consensua
l incest than others (Japan, India
until the 1930's, Australia).

The list is long and it serves to d
emonstrate the diversity of attitud
es towards this most universal of t
aboos. Generally put, we can say th
at a prohibition to have sex with o
r marry a related person should be
classified as an incest prohibition.

Perhaps the strongest feature of in
cest has been hitherto downplayed:
that it is, essentially, an autoero
tic act.

Having sex with a first-degree bloo
d relative is like having sex with
oneself. It is a Narcissistic act a
nd like all acts Narcissistic, it i
nvolves the objectification of the
partner. The incestuous Narcissist
over-values and then devalues his s
exual partner. He is devoid of empa
thy (cannot see the other's point o
f view or put himself in her shoes).

For an in depth treatment of Narcis
sism and its psychosexual dimension
, see: "Malignant Self Love - Narci
ssism Revisited" and "Frequently As
ked Questions".

Paradoxically, it is the reaction o
f society that transforms incest in
to such a disruptive phenomenon. Th
e condemnation, the horror, the rev
ulsion and the attendant social san
ctions interfere with the internal
processes and dynamics of the inces
tuous family. It is from society th
at the child learns that something
is horribly wrong, that he should f
eel guilty, and that the offending
parent is a defective role model.

As a direct result, the formation o
f the child's Superego is stunted a
nd it remains infantile, ideal, sad
istic, perfectionist, demanding and
 punishing. The child's Ego, on the
 other hand, is likely to be replac
ed by a False Ego version, whose jo
b it is to suffer the social conseq
uences of the hideous act.

To sum up: society's reactions in t
he case of incest are pathogenic an
d are most likely to produce a Narc
issistic or a Borderline patient. D
ysempathic, exploitative, emotional
ly labile, immature, and in eternal
 search for Narcissistic Supply – t
he child becomes a replica of his i
ncestuous and socially-castigated p
arent.

If so, why did human societies deve
lop such pathogenic responses? In o
ther words, why is incest considere
d a taboo in all known human collec
tives and cultures? Why are incestu
ous liaisons treated so harshly and
 punitively?

Freud said that incest provokes hor
ror because it touches upon our for
bidden, ambivalent emotions towards
 members of our close family. This
ambivalence covers both aggression
towards other members (forbidden an
d punishable) and (sexual) attracti
on to them (doubly forbidden and pu
nishable).

Edward Westermarck proffered an opp
osite view that the domestic proxim
ity of the members of the family br
eeds sexual repulsion (the epigenet
ic rule known as the Westermarck ef
fect) to counter naturally occurrin
g genetic sexual attraction. The in
cest taboo simply reflects emotiona
l and biological realities within t
he family rather than aiming to res
train the inbred instincts of its m
embers, claimed Westermarck.

Though much-disputed by geneticists
, some scholars maintain that the i
ncest taboo may have been originall
y designed to prevent the degenerat
ion of the genetic stock of the cla
n or tribe through intra-family bre
eding (closed endogamy). But, even
if true, this no longer applies. In
 today's world incest rarely result
s in pregnancy and the transmission
 of genetic material. Sex today is
about recreation as much as procrea
tion.
Good contraceptives should, therefo
re, encourage incestuous, couples.
In many other species inbreeding or
 straightforward incest are the nor
m. Finally, in most countries, ince
st prohibitions apply also to non-g
enetically-related people.

It seems, therefore, that the inces
t taboo was and is aimed at one thi
ng in particular: to preserve the f
amily unit and its proper functioni
ng.

Incest is more than a mere manifest
ation of a given personality disord
er or a paraphilia (incest is consi
dered by many to be a subtype of pe
dophilia). It harks back to the ver
y nature of the family. It is close
ly entangled with its functions and
 with its contribution to the devel
opment of the individual within it.

The family is an efficient venue fo
r the transmission of accumulated p
roperty as well as information - bo
th horizontally (among family membe
rs) and vertically (down the genera
tions). The process of socializatio
n largely relies on these familial
mechanisms, making the family the m
ost important agent of socializatio
n by far.

The family is a mechanism for the a
llocation of genetic and material w
ealth. Worldly goods are passed on
from one generation to the next thr
ough succession, inheritance and re
sidence. Genetic material is handed
 down through the sexual act. It is
 the mandate of the family to incre
ase both by accumulating property a
nd by marrying outside the family (
exogamy).

Clearly, incest prevents both. It p
reserves a limited genetic pool and
 makes an increase of material poss
essions through intermarriage all b
ut impossible.

The family's roles are not merely m
aterialistic, though.

One of the main businesses of the f
amily is to teach to its members se
lf control, self regulation and hea
lthy adaptation. Family members sha
re space and resources and siblings
 share the mother's emotions and at
tention. Similarly, the family educ
ates its young members to master th
eir drives and to postpone the self
-gratification which attaches to ac
ting upon them.

The incest taboo conditions childre
n to control their erotic drive by
abstaining from ingratiating themse
lves with members of the opposite s
ex within the same family. There co
uld be little question that incest
constitutes a lack of control and i
mpedes the proper separation of imp
ulse (or stimulus) from action.

Additionally, incest probably inter
feres with the defensive aspects of
 the family's existence. It is thro
ugh the family that aggression is l
egitimately channeled, expressed an
d externalized. By imposing discipl
ine and hierarchy on its members, t
he family is transformed into a coh
esive and efficient war machine. It
 absorbs economic resources, social
 status and members of other famili
es. It forms alliances and fights o
ther clans over scarce goods, tangi
ble and intangible.
This efficacy is undermined by ince
st. It is virtually impossible to m
aintain discipline and hierarchy in
 an incestuous family where some me
mbers assume sexual roles not norma
lly theirs. Sex is an expression of
 power – emotional and physical. Th
e members of the family involved in
 incest surrender power and assume
it out of the regular flow patterns
 that have made the family the form
idable apparatus that it is.

These new power politics weaken the
 family, both internally and extern
ally. Internally, emotive reactions
 (such as the jealousy of other fam
ily members) and clashing authoriti
es and responsibilities are likely
to undo the delicate unit. External
ly, the family is vulnerable to ost
racism and more official forms of i
ntervention and dismantling.

Finally, the family is an identity
endowment mechanism. It bestows ide
ntity upon its members. Internally,
 the members of the family derive m
eaning from their position in the f
amily tree and its "organization ch
art" (which conform to societal exp
ectations and norms). Externally, t
hrough exogamy, by incorporating "s
trangers", the family absorbs other
 identities and thus enhances socia
l solidarity (Claude Levy-Strauss)
at the expense of the solidarity of
 the nuclear, original family.

Exogamy, as often noted, allows for
 the creation of extended alliances
. The "identity creep" of the famil
y is in total opposition to incest.
 The latter increases the solidarit
y and cohesiveness of the incestuou
s family – but at the expense of it
s ability to digest and absorb othe
r identities of other family units.
 Incest, in other words, adversely
affects social cohesion and solidar
ity.

Lastly, as aforementioned, incest i
nterferes with well-established and
 rigid patterns of inheritance and
property allocation. Such disruptio
n is likely to have led in primitiv
e societies to disputes and conflic
ts - including armed clashes and de
aths. To prevent such recurrent and
 costly bloodshed was one of the in
tentions of the incest taboo.
The more primitive the society, the
 more strict and elaborate the set
of incest prohibitions and the fier
cer the reactions of society to vio
lations. It appears that the less v
iolent the dispute settlement metho
ds and mechanisms in a given cultur
e – the more lenient the attitude t
o incest.

The incest taboo is, therefore, a c
ultural trait. Protective of the ef
ficient mechanism of the family, so
ciety sought to minimize disruption
 to its activities and to the clear
 flows of authority, responsibiliti
es, material wealth and information
 horizontally and vertically.

Incest threatened to unravel this m
agnificent creation - the family. A
larmed by the possible consequences
 (internal and external feuds, a ri
se in the level of aggression and v
iolence) – society introduced the t
aboo. It came replete with physical
 and emotional sanctions: stigmatiz
ation, revulsion and horror, impris
onment, the demolition of the erran
t and socially mutant family cell.
As long as societies revolve around
 the relegation of power, its shari
ng, its acquisition and dispensatio
n – there will always exist an ince
st taboo. But in a different societ
al and cultural setting, it is conc
eivable not to have such a taboo. W
e can easily imagine a society wher
e incest is extolled, taught, and p
racticed - and out-breeding is rega
rded with horror and revulsion.

The incestuous marriages among memb
ers of the royal households of Euro
pe were intended to preserve the fa
milial property and expand the clan
's territory. They were normative,
not aberrant. Marrying an outsider
was considered abhorrent.

An incestuous society - where inces
t is the norm - is conceivable even
 today.

Two out of many possible scenarios:

1. "The Lot Scenario"

A plague or some other natural disa
ster decimate the population of pla
net Earth. People remain alive only
 in isolated clusters, co-habiting
only with their closest kin. Surely
 incestuous procreation is preferab
le to virtuous extermination. Inces
t becomes normative.

Incest is as entrenched a taboo as
cannibalism. Yet, it is better to e
at the flesh of your dead football
team mates than perish high up on t
he Andes (a harrowing tale of survi
val recounted in the book and epony
mous film, "Alive").

2. The Egyptian Scenario

Resources become so scarce that fam
ily units scramble to keep them exc
lusively within the clan.

Exogamy - marrying outside the clan
 - amounts to a unilateral transfer
 of scarce resources to outsiders a
nd strangers. Incest becomes an eco
nomic imperative.

An incestuous society would be eith
er utopian or dystopian, depending
on the reader's point of view - but
 that it is possible is doubtless.