Fox found that brothers and sisters who experiment together before puberty are less likely to be sexually attracted to each other after puberty. Recent studies of Israeli kibbutzim and of Taiwanese children also indicate that early social familiarity reinforces the incest taboo. Mutual sex play among siblings does not prove harmful, and could foster a robust, healthy, nonincestuous stance later in life. (Weiner, 1962; Riemer, 1940; Fox, 1962) Mother-son involvement is the most malignant form of incest.
Prohibitions against such relationships are the strongest
of all. Raphling et al. describe a family where multiple
incestuous relationships occur. The son who was the chief
perpetrator of the liaisons is nonetheless disgusted by his
mother's attempt to seduce him. He continues to bear resentment
toward her. Mothers who seduce their sons have severe
emotional disorders and are often psychotic. They may abuse
alcohol and be promiscuous. The child is ordinarily left confused
and angry, although Finch reports that one fourteenyear-
old boy who had coitus with his mother for several years
nonetheless maintains a good adjustment with many features
of a healthy personality.
Between the near normal sibling incest and the highly
pathological mother-and-son incest lie the majority of cases.
These are the father-and-daughter or stepfather-and-stepdaughter
liaisons. The relationship usually exists for an
average of three years prior to discovery. Occasionally molestations
are reported immediately by a shocked daughter or
her irate mother, but this is the exception. Many unions are
never revealed. In the liaisons that persist the whole family
is involved in a tangled conspiracy. All members of the family
are aware of the activity but avoid acknowledging it. (Sarles,
1975; Poznanski and Blos, 1975; Kaufman, 1954; Riemer,
1940)
BARBARA
Barbara's mother was chronically tired and vexed by the
father's inability to hold a steady job. She insisted that his
snores kept her awake and suggested that he sleep on the top
bunk of nine-year-old Barbara's bed. Barbara did housework
and cooked her father's favorite dishes because her mother
"couldn't stand the smell." Barbara was flattered when her
father brought her special gifts and sought her opinion and
advice. When her father's attentions became blatantly sexual
Barbara complained to her mother. The mother called
her a liar and a whore with dirty thoughts.
Barbara no
longer resisted and soon began to enjoy coitus. When she was
twelve years old she asked her father for a ten-speed bicycle.
Not only did she not receive one, but her father began to pay
attention to Barbara's eight-year-old sister. Barbara was
furious and the next day told her teacher everything. The
police questioned the father and put him in jail. The mother
vindictively accused Barbara of lying and attempting to
break up the marriage. Barbara was placed in an experienced
foster home. She was seductive toward her foster
father until he gently but firmly restrained her. Next she
became enamored of her English teacher and finally of a
classmate. While in jail the father admitted the incest but
asked for leniency because "I was afraid she'd get mad at me
if I didn't give it to her."
Although parents are upset and under severe stress at the
time of exposure, they seldom express guilt. (Poznanski and
Blos, 1975; Sarles, 1975) Common rationalizations include:
"It was my duty as a father to teach my daughter," or "I was
afraid she'd get hurt if one of those bastards at school got her
first."
What repercussions might we expect in the daughters?
There are several patterns. If the daughter is cruelly
coerced, especially if she is very young and in great pain, her
perception of sex and her character will suffer. The following
is from a court-ordered evaluation.