On Incest

Incest is a universal taboo that is found throughout the history and mythology of the majority of societies. A neglected subject in more recent psychoanalytic work, this book was inspired by the COWAP European Conference of 2003. On Incest explores the theories and reasons behind incest, using themes such as gender identity and perversion. This fourth volume in the Psychoanalysis & Women Series for the Committee on Women and Psychoanalysis of the International Psychoanalytical Association contains papers from leading experts in the field. It includes the papers delivered at the conference, and two additional papers from Mariam Alizade and Brendan MacCarthy, who present their accounts of the discussions as they developed during the conference. The collection deals with a number of issues that surround incest, including Freud's work and how his outlook changed throughout the years; the post-Freudian theories; treatment of both offender and victim through traditional one-on-one and group therapy; the importance of the sex of the analyst; the permutations of the abuser/abused; and the "why" of incest.