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THE “INCESTUOUS FAMILY” REVISITED: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF FAMILY THERAPY MYTHS
Author(s) -
James Kerrie,
MacKin Laurie
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of marital and family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.868
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1752-0606
pISSN - 0194-472X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-0606.1990.tb00047.x
Subject(s) - family therapy , mythology , perspective (graphical) , context (archaeology) , isolation (microbiology) , psychoanalysis , psychology , psychotherapist , sociology , criminology , social psychology , history , computer science , archaeology , artificial intelligence , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , classics
From a feminist perspective, the family therapy literature concerning incest fails to perceive the patriarchal context of abusive behavior and consequently blames the victim. This paper critiques the family therapy literature by drawing on the feminist discourse concerning incest. Several pervasive myths are identified: (a) that fathers and mothers are pathologically disturbed or inadequate; (b) incest is caused by separation and loss; (c) family isolation or a rigid external boundary explains incest; and (d) incest serves a function in maintaining family organization. By analyzing the contradictions arising from these polemical positions, we propose criteria for developing an adequate clinical account of incest.