ABSTRACT
Although incest taboos have their roots in the need for privacy, the two are not in one-to-one relationship; if they were, all sexual behavior would be taboo. Furthermore, since the need for privacy is part of the individual’s sense of identity, and since the development of identity is closely tied to the institutional and value arrangements in a society, it is logical to expect that the ways in which an individual learns to satisfy his need for privacy will be closely tied to the society’s institutional and value organization. And since the child’s inchoate sexuality at the first stage of puberty requires that incest taboos be given their final inculcation at that point of development, we are also led to expect that the ways in which the incest taboo are taught are closely tied to the society’s means of establishing a social-emotional identity.
