Incest Taboo 21 Lindsey Allen Fa !!better!! Full < Premium >

The incest taboo can also be seen as a way to maintain social boundaries and prevent the exploitation of family members. For example, the prohibition on incest may help prevent powerful family members from taking advantage of weaker or more vulnerable relatives.

It suggests that the formal taboo is simply a cultural formalization of an innate psychological mechanism. 3. Evolutionary Biology and the Genetic Imperative incest taboo 21 lindsey allen fa full

Finnish anthropologist Edvard Westermarck proposed a more nuanced biological-psychological theory in the late 19th century. He hypothesized that humans develop a . This "Westermarck effect" is seen as a biological mechanism, not a learned rule, that reduces the likelihood of sexual attraction between those who grow up together, such as siblings. However, the theory has its detractors. Critics argue that if the aversion were purely instinctual, the taboo itself would be redundant. The fact that incest does happen, sometimes tragically, undermines the idea that a simple instinctual aversion is a sufficient explanation. The incest taboo can also be seen as