Families of incest: a collation of clinical impressions

The present paper provides a collation of the impressions of clinical workers regarding families in which father-daughter incest has incurred. Responses of the workers indicate that the incestuous relationship is typically not limited to one or two sexual encounters, but the relationship can become a stable part of family life. The sexual interactions appear to parallel sexual practices in non-incestuous relationships. Daughters involved in incest are viewed as submissive, passive, fearful, whereas the fathers are viewed as dominating, impulsive, and using violence or threats to obtain the daughters sexual co-operation. Mothers are viewed as weak and as failing to provide help for their daughters. The picture of the family in which father-daughter incest occurs is one in which unhappy people are unable to establish satisfying human relationships.