Childhood Association, Sexual Attraction, and the Incest Taboo: A Chinese Case¹

Abstract

Whereas most sociological and biological explanations of the incest taboo assume that intimate childhood association enhances sexual attraction, most psychological explanations assume that such association depresses it. In northern Taiwan one of several forms of marriage involves the introduction of the bride into her future husband's home as an infant; bride and groom are then raised as members of the same family, experiencing a prolonged period of intimate association. The responses of these couples to marriage and sexual relations support the psychological new of the effects of intimate association on sexual attraction and thereby challenge the basis of most sociological and biological explanations of the incest taboo.