Sex before eight or else it's too late.
-Slogan of the
Rene Guyon Society
MANY parents avoid dealing with their children's eroticism
because of conscious or unconscious fears of incest. Many
fathers recoil in dismay at a partial erection while wrestling
with a daughter, or-even more disquieting-with a son. Yet
children continue to rub, hug, and feel parents. Parents react
by limiting the amount and kind of contact. They shun kissing
children on the lips, remain fully clothed when youngsters
are about, and avoid prolonged physical contact.
Kissing becomes a conventional gesture-limited, predictable,
and safe. This is necessary, at least for the comfort of
the parents.
Do early sexual experiences erode children's morals,
increase criminal behavior, and promote indiscriminate lust?
These are commonly held assumptions. Data from other societies
indicate that these dangers are grossly exaggerated.
But what of our own culture? The slum and the commune are
scarcely typical of our family structure. There is one event
that occurs in all strata of society and that provides young
sters with intense erotic stimulation-incest. While incest
can lead to serious problems, it is not always harmful.
(Finch, 1973; Sarles; Yorukoglu, 1966; Rassmussen, 1934;
Bender, 1952; Schlacter, 1960) A study of incest aids in our
understanding of children's sexuality.
Incest taboos are the strictest and most ubiquitous moral
constraints known. (Henderson, 1975; Murdock, 1949) They
exist not only in human society but also in chimpanzee and
monkey groups. For instance, male chimpanzees living in the
wild do not copulate with their mothers. Brother and sister
chimpanzees may mate with each other, but less frequently
and less enthusiastically than with other chimpanzees.
Father chimpanzees apparently do not recognize their offspring
and may couple with their own daughters. (Jensen,
1972; Goodall, 1958) Human cultures are analogous in that
only mother-and-son incest is universally prohibited.
Legends and plays have depicted incest throughout history.
Marriage between brother and sister was not uncommon
in ancient Egypt if the children were related only
through the father. It was prohibited if the two were born of
the same mother. Cleopatra was a product of a series of such
incestuous marriages and eventually, in spite of Caesar, did
marry her brother. Among the ancient Greeks and Hebrews,
marriage among family members was permitted in order to
conserve wealth and power. The Bible describes incest
between Lot and his daughters after the death of Lot's wife.
Salome had an incestuous relationship with her stepfather,
who was also her uncle. In Greek mythology, Zeus married
his sister Hera to produce a family of lesser gods. The legends
of Oedipus and Phaedra warned of the inevitable death
and destruction which would ensue after the rupture of the
incest taboo.
Most cases of incest are never reported, and accurate statistics
are not available. It appears to be most frequent in
overcrowded dwellings and in isolated rural areas. (Lutier,
1972; Lustig, 1966; Weinberg, 1955) Alcoholism, poverty,
retardation, emotional deprivation, and difficulties in sexual
adjustment are also implicated. (Tormeys; Weiner, 1962)
Immediate factors, such as the mother's absence, increase
the likelihood of father-and-daughter incest.
According to Weinberg's study of 203 cases, 78 percent of
incest occurs between fathers and daughters or stepfathers
and stepdaughters. Eighteen percent is between brothers
and sisters, and one percent between mothers and sons. The
remaining three percent are multiple relationships.
Sibling incest is least often reported and is usually handled
within the family. Incest between prepubertal children
commonly follows a pattern of normal sex play, leading eventually
to heterosexual intercourse with no particular emotional
damage.