On Incest Psychoanalytic Perspectives

Incest is a universal taboo found throughout history and within myths from all societies. It has been a neglected subject by psychoanalysis in recent years and this volume aims, successfully, to promote confrontation between the past and present and to provide a clinical and theoretical reflection on the subject. Here incest is distinct from sexual abuse outside of the family nucleus. The book, inspired by the COWAP European Conference of 2003, looks at themes such as gender identity, perversions and incest. Containing papers from leading experts in the field, it includes the papers delivered at the conference plus two papers from Mariam Alizade and Brendan MacCarthy, who both present an account of the discussions as they developed during the conference.

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.

Foreword -- Introduction -- Incest yesterday and today: from conflict to ambiguity -- Incest(s) and the negation of otherness -- Incest: the crushed fantasy -- Incest: a therapeutic challenge -- Incest: the damaged psychic flesh -- Counterpoints