| Abstract: | The human incest taboo is here conceptualized as a plural, gender-related psychological reality whose major strands are (1) an instinctual female incest inhibition and (2) a cultural father incest prohibition. These strands are experienced in a plural phenomenology - as a mother taboo, father taboo, daughter taboo, son taboo, and brother-sister taboo. The instinctual inhibition can be demonstrated in a wide range of plant and animal life, not just humans. The cultural prohibition would appear to have originated out of the instinctual inhibition after humans realized the existence of the previously unrecognized father-daughter relationship. The individual ontology of the taboos is explained in terms of object relations theory; the inhibition and prohibition are seen as psychodynamically unique and their differences are compared. It is proposed that the fuller realization of the plural nature of the incest taboo will not only maximize human ability to prevent actual incest but also lead to greater effectiveness for both males and females in the arena of sexual politics. Finally, the notion of the plural taboo is a clinical standpoint from which to explore sexual transference and countertransference in psychotherapy. |
