Social Contributors to Incest

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at several theories of the social and familial causes of incest, primarily in western patriarchal society. The paper also examines the social and cultural taboos against incest and briefly discusses some of these theories. Predominant factors believe to contribute to incest are emotional and social imbalances in the perpetrator and other family problems as well as socioeconomic status.

From the Paper:

"Incest is a very difficult subject for many people, because of the social taboos that it forces us to address, and often because of fears and past history many people have had. Some scholars believe that there are concrete biological arguments against incest, and that the social and cultural taboos against incest reinforce these biological imperatives. For these reasons it is important to understand what the social contributors to incest might be and why they can be so traumatizing to an individual and a society. The development of incest taboos has been linked by such authors as Seligman and Levi-Strauss to the advancement of societal norms that allow for better functioning family groups which are in turn necessary for the advancement of the larger society (Vander Mey & Neff, 1986, p. 24). "

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