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From: joan@med.unc.edu (Joan Shields)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Incest avoidance
Message-ID: <3360@beguine.UUCP>
Date: 16 Apr 91 16:32:32 GMT
References: <21487@crg5.UUCP> <1991Apr5.233453.3577@leland.Stanford.EDU> <21529@crg5.UUCP>
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In article <21529@crg5.UUCP> szabo@crg5.UUCP (Nick Szabo) writes:
>In article <1991Apr5.233453.3577@leland.Stanford.EDU> repnomar@leland.Stanford.EDU (Janet M. Lafler) writes:
>
>>Where would you place parent/child incest in this picture?
>
>I have not read an sociobiology on this subject, but I can
>extrapolate (make up my own theories :-) based on the basic
>theory of sociobiology.  There are again two major possible proximate
>causes, kin recognition (the recognition of genetic relatedness
>regardless of cultural relationship) or proximity when young.
>Kin recognition is considered to be difficult to evolve,
>kind of violating Occam's Genetic Razor.  :-).  So let's consider
>parent/child proximity. 
>
>If the capability for such a genetic structure exists, there will
>be genetic avoidance behavior between parent and child based on proximity
>of child-raising.  For species where the parent does not stay around in a 
>significant way,  one would not expect avoidance based on proximity.
>For humans, parental proximity would predict the following:
>
>* Societies where fathers do not actively help raise their daughters
>  from a young age will have a higher frequency of father/daughter 
>  incest
>* There will be a higher rate of parent/child incest for children adopted
>  at an older age than genetic children or children adopted at a 
>  younger age.
>
>On the other hand, a proximate cause of kin recognition would predict
>the following:
>
>* Societies where adultery is common (and has been for several generations)
>  will have higher rates of father/daughter incest
>* There will be a higher rate of parent/child incest for children adopted
>  at any age than genetic children.
>
>Nick Szabo			szabo@sequent.com



The above predictions are all very well and good if child/parental incest
in humans occured because of sexual attractiveness or fertility or even
to spite social moral.  However, most incest does not occur for those
reasons, rather for power, control, manipulation, the need/desire to abuse
something weaker.  How can a child be sexually attractive?  Incest is a
very devestating form of abuse, it is akin to rape - only in this case
(not just father-daughter) it lasts longer, over a period of years in some
cases and the perpetrator is someone the child is taught to love and
depend upon for protection.  We can always say that this is the exception
- but it isn't.  Incest/sexual abuse is much more common than we would
like to admit.  But what about incest between adults?  When did it start -
most likely in childhood.  Unless there's someone out there who has or had
a healthy sexual realtionship with a parent...

The devestation that incest leaves can last for years.  The scars are deep
and the shame, guilt, anger, and terror can destroy the grown child's
life.  

In general, incest avoidance may indeed be a factor of genetic recognition
or proximity - it probably is, in a healthy family or society.  However,
the reasons given for why incest occurs despite the restaints both genetic
and cultural - are very idealistic and rare.  They may very well occur in
a small isolated society but I don't think they happen in ours.



The above are my opinions.



Joan