Conclusion
In this study of incest between fathers and daughters, we have seen a number of situations from which parallels may be drawn. In our attempt to discover some link between sexual actions and environments, we shall take note of those circumstances that apparently added to the motivation and subconscious desires that resulted in incestuous behavior.
In every case included within this volume, one factor has been present. And that is the absence of a mother.
Typically, in the family unit, there exists a tension line between the members which serves to control the needs of the libido. Freud told us that men desire their mothers and daughters harbor tremendous feelings of same for their fathers. In the family where both parents are present, these strong desires are controlled by the strong presence of each parent.
In establishing a sexual communion between each other, the husband and wife are able to establish themselves firmly in their children's minds as belonging to each other. Thus, the incestuous desires which may be present within the children are limited only to the deepest rooted fantasy because there is no opportunity for it to become a fact of reality.
But in the home where the mother is not present, and the small daughter lives without her threatening presence, the chances for incestuous behavior occurring seem to grow heavily.
In each of the cases where the mother was not present, the daughter was able to establish herself as a woman in the eyes of her father. In some cases, she created for herself the same role which the mother would have played had she been present. In others, the daughter became a replacement for the sex-symbol role which the absent wife would have had. In all cases, though, the daughter became a moving factor in establishing herself in a role that would fill the void left by the non-existent mother.
After studying the cases presented in this volume, we can reach some conclusions concerning the breakdown of typical sexual controls and their affect upon deviant behavior. When those controls are destroyed, or rather do not exist due to the fact that the needed participants are absent, there is a large chance that deviant behavior will result. The libido being freed, the actions then emerge into reality.
The sexual attraction between a father and his daughter is classically a strong one. Our society has sought to control it and through this goal has developed a very subtle, very refined method which uses the family unit, with the presence of the wife, as a necessary factor. But today the family unit is disintegrating, and these subtle controls are disappearing. With this situation invading the American scene, there can be no doubt that the rate of formerly tabooed sexual behavior will climb.
It is hoped that this study has provided an insight into incest between fathers and their daughters. As the subtle controls of the past break down, necessitating new perspectives on sexual behavior, it becomes a necessary fact of life that everyone takes it upon him or herself to study and further extend their understanding of the human sexual process.