ABSTRACT
Sexuality in stepfamilies is an age-old concern. The commonsense understanding of incest as sexual relations between family members related by blood is adequate only at first sight. Adult sexuality, which is usually not an open issue in nuclear families, is right there for all to be aware of in the stepfamily. Stepsiblings sometimes do actually enter into some sort of sexual relationship, one that may be temporary or may develop into something more serious. For teenage stepsiblings, as for all teenagers, sexual feelings are often disturbing. The common alienation that teenagers feel from their stepfamilies may be rooted in an attempt to avoid incestuous impulses. Sexual feelings play a large part in the dynamics of any family. From the beginning of our lives, through the latency period, to the reemergence of adult sexuality, they are a basic feature of our emotional development.
