Intrafamilial Abuse

1. Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect
Tenth Edition
Chapter 7
Intrafamilial Abuse
PowerPoint Lecture
Slides prepared by
Piljoo Kang, Ph.D.
Toccoa Falls College
Copyright © 2021, 2014, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

2. Copyright © 2021, 2014, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Learning Objectives (1 of 2)
After studying this chapter, you should be able to
7.1 describe how the incest taboo evolved and the various
approaches to explaining the etiology.
7.2 define incest and explain how society might contribute
to it.
7.3 explain father-daughter incest and give a picture of the
perpetrator, the victim, and the non-abusive mother.

3. Copyright © 2021, 2014, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Learning Objectives (2 of 2)
7.4 cite the other parent-child incest patterns and how these
play out for the victims.
7.5 outline the patterns of sibling incest and abuse by other
relatives and how these might impact victims.
7.6 explain the factors that might cause incest to stop.

4. Copyright © 2021, 2014, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
The Incest Taboo
• Incest: sexual abuse within the family
• Despite taboos against incest, which led to legal & social
prohibitions, intrafamilial abuse has been present for
long time.
• Reasons for incest taboo:
– for concerns about inbreeding
– developing an aversion to sexual relationships
– to avoid family disruptions

5. Copyright © 2021, 2014, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Societal Contributions to Incest
• Society’s preoccupation with sexuality
– emphasis on sexual performance
– socialization of female children to see sexuality
as a means to gain attention and favors
• Increased mobility and confused values as the
grounds for sexually abusive behavior

6. Copyright © 2021, 2014, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Father-Daughter Incest: Family Patterns
• Possessive-passive: patriarchal; father is intimidating,
mother tends to be passive & withdrawn, & daughter
considered as a possession
• Dependent-domineering: a week inadequate man & a
strong domineering mother; the mother seeks gratification
outside the home and absent from home, leaving the
daughter vulnerable
• Dependent-dependent: two needy people become
disappointed that the relationship does not magically fill
needs of deprived childhoods; often oldest daughter
becomes parentified

7. Copyright © 2021, 2014, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Father-Daughter Incest: Family Profile
• Father: abuse may bolster self-esteem, and compensate
for perceived rejection by wife; gives illusion of power
and control
• Mother: either domineering or dependent; may collude
with abuse or feel powerless to stop it; criticized for not
protecting her daughter
• Daughter: may initially enjoy attention, but fears
retaliation, or feels responsible for keeping parents
together; often more angry at her mother than father
• Siblings: may resent attention the victim receives, or
collude to ensure their own safety

8. Copyright © 2021, 2014, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Father-Son Incest
• Father seeks power; acts out childhood conflicts of
powerlessness and sexual identity issues
• Mother plays the role of silent partner; reprieves from her
own relationship with her husband
• Son shows poor peer relations, self-destructive
behaviors; depression; sexually dysfunction; substance
abuse; repressed anger may come out as violence toward
others.
• Early introduction to same-sex activity predisposes a boy
to later fears of being gay or to acting out.

9. Copyright © 2021, 2014, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Mother-Daughter Incest
• Rare (5% of sexual abuse of girls by older females)
• Conflicting evidence on impact; factors include overall
quality of relationship, how much the girl internalizes her
mother’s attitudes, & whether the abuse is masked as part
of nurturing activities
• Mother: dysfunctional family-of-origin; lonely and
isolated; views daughter as extension of self
• Mother’s overidentification with her daughter results in a
masturbatory type of abuse; daughter feels trapped and
unable to break away

10. Copyright © 2021, 2014, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Mother-Son Incest
• Mother may mask sexual contact through bathing and
“normal” caretaking functions
• Mother sees her son as a surrogate adult male
• Son takes the place of absent father emotionally and/or
physically
• Role reversal: the mother becomes emotionally
dependent on her son
• Victim: feelings of worthlessness, betrayal, rage, and fear
may develop in adulthood

11. Copyright © 2021, 2014, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Other Types of Incest
• Brother-sister incest: a brother uses his superior power
over his sister as a means of meeting his exploration or
exploitation needs
• Same-sex sibling incest: boys may be exploring; age
difference of 7+ years creates power differential; sisters
report less impact
• Incest with uncles, grandfathers, and cousins: Uncles
perpetrate more than fathers; grandfathers typically have
multiple victims

12. Copyright © 2021, 2014, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Why Incest Stops
• Abuse may stop when
– Reported and intervened.
– Victims are able to protect themselves as they
grow older
– Perpetrator loses opportunity to abuse.
– Stressful situation that prompted the abuse may
abate.

13. Copyright © 2021, 2014, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Copyright
This work is protected by United States copyright laws and is
provided solely for the use of instructors in teaching their
courses and assessing student learning. Dissemination or sale of
any part of this work (including on the World Wide Web) will
destroy the integrity of the work and is not permitted. The work
and materials from it should never be made available to students
except by instructors using the accompanying text in their
classes. All recipients of this work are expected to abide by these
restrictions and to honor the intended pedagogical purposes and
the needs of other instructors who rely on these materials.