An additional facet of the incest taboo: a protection of the mating-strategy template.
It is suggested that sexual intercourse between adult males and girls tends to distort an inherent mating-strategy template: female choice of mating partner. The distortion seems to have long-range consequences in the form of myriad psychopathologies, which, in turn, reduce the afflicted individuals' chances for normative marriage and parenting profiles. In addition, a similar dynamic would hypothetically result from adult-male to boy incest. It is suggested that to minimize the chances of adult-child sexual intercourse, incest taboos have historically been reinforced and extended to nonparental adults, especially men, beyond the immediate nuclear family.
Immerman
R S
RS
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, USA.
Mackey
W C
WC
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007179:Incest / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D011606:Psychosexual Development; D013609:Taboo