Benigno Ninoy Aquino High School Aguho Street, Comembo, Makati City

Prepared By:
Azucena, Marlyn V. Cayabyab, Diane Marie Ocol, John Christian D. Pario, Rizalino L. Gutierrez, Arvin Joshua D. Embile, Rosselle D. Lumbre, Ruel C. Titar, Ryan D.

ENGLISH IV-SOLIMAN Ms. Rhodora Marzan

English Teacher

Acknowledgement

We would like to acknowledge the people who helped us to finish and complete this research paper. First and foremost is our Almighty God who gave us enough strength, knowledge, wisdom, faith and rationality to achieve this wonderful and interesting research that weve made. Next is our beloved family that always supports us no matter what happen, they still at our backs. Reminding us to strive hard for success. To those people who lend their time answering some various questions that made this project accurate and reliable, we thank you very much. For the important people like the Parish Priests, Lawyers and Secretaries that granted our little request, we are very thankful for giving us your thoughts and knowledge about this topic that weve been going through. For our classmates, friends, schoolmates, teachers and other people who supported us through the end. We dedicate this for you. Thank you so much.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to inform the not only the students but to those people who are clueless about what Incest is. This research is intended to help everyone to lead their ways into good relationship between members of the families. With this, the readers will gain more knowledge about the importance of laws and proper attitude towards the right and wrong decisions. I hope that this study will affect many people lives and will be able to live a peaceful and better living in the society.

Outline of the Research

A. Introduction I. Signs of Developing an Incest a. Emotional and Sexual Awareness towards each other. b. Indifferent acts between two relatives/siblings. c. Possession to desired relative partner/siblings. II. Causes of Incest a. Inadequate guidance of parents. b. Lack of spiritual education. c. Improper thinking/acts towards opposite sex.
III. Solution to Eliminate Incest

a. Involvement of a psychologist. b. Separation of both parties. c. Complete guidance of parents.

IV. Stories and Cases of Incest

a. Father-Daughter relationship
b. Mother-Son relationship c. Brother-Sister relationship

Statement of the Problem

Topic: Incest Against Society Thesis Statement: Instances of Incest in the Society Statement of the Problem: This research paper aimed to inform the people why Incest is not acceptable in the society and in our country and show the possible reasons and solutions if there are cases regarding Incest that occurs in the family.

Definition of Terms

Incest - sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step relatives related by adoption or marriage; and members of the same clan orlineage.

Psychologist - is a professional or academic title used by individuals.

Adolescent - beginning and ending with the teenage stage. Heterosexuality - is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the opposite sex or gender.

Homosexual - refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same sex .

Jurisdiction Is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters.

Pregnancy - is the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as an embryo or fetus, in a woman's uterus.

Introduction

Incest between adults and those under the age of consent is considered a form of child sexual abuse that has been shown to be the one of the most extreme forms of childhood abuse, often resulting in serious and long-term psychological trauma, especially in the case of parental incest.

Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between individuals of close blood relationship ; members of the same household; step relatives related by adoption or marriage; and members of the same clan or lineage. Laws regarding incest can be also seen and read.

Consensual adult incest is seen by some as a victimless crime. Although it is illegal in most countries, Russia, China, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Turkey, Israel and the Ivory Coast have no legal prohibitions on consensual incest between adults, and Switzerland has considered decriminalizing it. Most societies have prohibitions against incest. Most modern societies have legal or social restrictions on closely consanguineous marriages. However, in some societies, such as Ancient Egypt, Brother-Sister; Father-Daughter; Mother-Son relations were practiced among royalties as a mean of perpetuating the royal lineage. In addition, the Balinese and some Inuit tribes have altogether different beliefs about what constitutes illegal and immoral incest. Prevalence is difficult to generalize, but research has estimated 10-15% of the general population as having at least one such sexual contact, with less that 2% involving intercourse or attempted intercourse. Among women, research has yielded estimates as high as 20%.

Signs of Developing Incest Incest taboos and laws are centuries old and have been defended on the grounds that incest would mean the upsetting of age distinctions, mixing of generations, and drastic changes of roles within the family.

Emotional and Sexual Awareness Researchers have paid a lot of attention to the strategies infants develop to cope with intense emotions, both positive and negative ones. There are cultural differences in expectations for management of emotions in infants. For example, Japanese parents try to shield their infants from the frustrations that would invite anger. In other words, some emotions are regulated by protecting the child from situations that would arouse them.

Gerhard, Gagnon, Pomeroy and Christenson (1965) noted several differences between Incest offenders against children and against adults. They found that incest offenders against children were sexually preoccupied men who, usually because of unemployment, spent long periods of time at home, drank heavily, and seems to be ineffective, nonaggressive, dependent men. Pedophiles are called to those weak and impotent men who fear rejection in adult, heterosexual situations. They have this called pedophilia which is the expressed desired for sexual gratification with p pre-pubertal child. The desire can be heterosexual or homosexual. Incest offenders against adults tended to be conservative, moralistic, religiously devout and uneducated man. They seemed to be to drink heavily and lived generally disorganized liver.

Indifferent Acts and Possessions between Two Relatives/Siblings Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis, thought that gender development occurred in the third stage of psychosexual development, the phallic stage. In phallic stage, the boy has sexual feelings for his mother and the girl has for her father unconsciously.

The boy has sexual feelings for his mother but also fears his father. The father is seen as a threat because he is a rival for the mothers affections. The boy also loves his father because he is his father. So there are contradictory feelings of love and hatred towards the father and the boy feels great guilt because of this. The same way also to the girl towards her father.

The idea of a boy wanting his mother, hating his father and contradicting guilt by identifying or becoming the father is called Oedipus complex. It is after a Greek legend where Oedipus killed his father and married his mother unknowingly.

Freud referred to the process of a girl identifying with her mother to avoid feelings of hatred and jealousy is the Electra complex to match the boys Oedipus complex.

Causes of Incest Parents play an important part in determining how well an adolescent will be able to meet the demand for increasing autonomy and become a competent, caring, selfreliant adult with a positive self-image.

Inadequate Guidance of Parents Parental behavior patterns vary widely across this range. Autocratic or simple parents tell their young what to do; Authoritarian that they dont give the child or adolescent the right to make decisions. It can also be democratic in a way that the young person contributes freely to the discussion of issues relevant to her behavior and may even make decisions but ultimate authority is retained by parents. Theres also equalitarian which is there is minimal role differentiation between parents and child and permissive which talks about the balance in decision making falls in the direction of the child or adolescent. And lastly, the Laissez Faire or the young person is free to subscribe or to disregard parental wishes. The parentsespecially mothers recognize signs of acute psychological distress. Gloria Walters explains: Children can be aggressive, depressed, playing tyrant, afraid of people particularly men hyperactive, disobedient, unresponsive and silent. Incest casts, especially victims, tend to feel humiliated and shamed and something guilty.

Spiritual Education Another potential facet of adolescent development is spirituality or religiosity. As adolescents become capable as advanced thinking and begin to contemplate their existence, identity and future may also undertake spiritual exploration. Sociology of religion researches suggest that adolescents are a population that many religious organizations particularly target in order to exert influence in their lives and adolescence and young adulthood are the like stages when religious conversations is most likely to take place. The single most important social influence on the spiritual lives of adolescence is their parents. The greater the supply of religiously grounded relationships, activities, programs, opportunities and challenges available to teenagers, the more likely teenagers will be religiously engaged and invested.

Improper Thinking/Acts towards Opposite Sex Heterosexuality. Every society insists on some conformity to a norm of heterosexuality, or sexual orientation toward the opposite sex. The reason is obvious enough: without genital, heterosexual intercourse, a society could not produce and would be extinct within a generation. In practice, of course, the great majority of people learn to become heterosexual. About a third of the society included cross cultural samples totally forbid homosexuality or sexual interaction toward the same sex. These relationships were mostly accepted in royal families.

Solution to Eliminate Incest Incest creates a lot of confusion in the family. Relationships are ruined, trust is broken, and the family falls apart. Sometimes, in the worst scenarios, the incest is just ignored. There are generally three roles that another, family member can take. Involvement of a Psychologist Long-term treatment is often required because of the frequency and severity of the abuse, its impact on the developmental process, and the character of the victim. Time is also needed to work with strong defences and establish a therapeutic alliance of trust. Those survivors who have suffered the most serious repercussions and who present the most serious symptoms, including multiple personality, other dissociative states, substance dependencies or addictions of any type, and suicidal and selfdestructive behaviour, the therapist can assume that the therapy is going to take years. Optimally, the therapist-survivor relationship develops slowly, the interventions and interpretations paced according to both the survivor's ability to work with them and the degree of affect and defence they generate.

Often the survivor becomes discouraged or enraged by the need for such lengthy treatment, its slow pace, and the disequilibrium inherent in recovering from the effects of incest. Some survivors even view therapy as prolonging the abuse. It is important for the therapist to support the outrage, resentment, and discouragement, however. Explanations of the course of therapy and the reasons for its likely duration can put the process in perspective and offer the survivor support and reassurance.

Regardless of what type of treatment approach is chosen, common goals include:

acknowledgement and acceptance of the occurrence of the incest recounting the incest breakdown of feelings of isolation and stigma recognition, labelling, and expression of feelings resolution of responsibility and survival issues grieving

cognitive restructuring of distorted beliefs and stress responses self-determination and behavioural change education and skill-building

The basic goal of therapy is to help the survivor, in a safe and controlled way, recall the abuse and the original feelings associated with it and to restore the accurate meanings attached to the abuse. The turning point for the patient occurs when his or her rage is experienced not in a vacuum but as a response to cruelty. The patient needs to understand that nothing will erase the past. The work of therapy is, rather, to reclaim that traumatic past as part of his or her history and identity. With this kind of understanding, the abused patient will be able to grieve and to let go of both the trauma and the distortions in memory and mood that were once necessary for survival.

Laws regarding Incest

In Argentina, incest between individuals who are over the minimum age of consent is not prohibited. Marriage between 2nd degree relatives (uncle/aunt; niece/nephew) and beyond is allowed, with the exception of marriage involving lineal ancestors and descendants, which is considered null and void disregarding the degree of separation (parent/offspring, grandparent-grandchild).

In Australia marriage between an ancestor and descendant or between a brother and sister (including siblings of half-blood), is not permitted and these "prohibited relationships" include relationships traced through adoption. Moreover, incest is a crime in every Australian state and self-governing territory, but definitions and penalties vary.

All states and territories the legal definition of incest covers sex, whether heterosexual or homosexual, between a parent and child, as well as between siblings

(including half-brothers and half-sisters). Whether the definition of incest extends to sex between a stepparent and stepchild or adoptive relationships varies from state to state. In all jurisdictions except South Australia, the definition also includes sex between a grandparent and a grandchild, and in all other jurisdictions except New South Wales it also covers sex between a "lineal ancestor" and a "lineal descendant", which would include the relationship of great-grandparent/great-grandchild and beyond. Only in Queensland is incest defined to include sex between an uncle or aunt and a niece or nephew, although even here its application would appear to be curtailed by the effect of federal marriage law, as the Queensland Criminal Code itself provides that the crime of incest does not apply to "persons who are lawfully married or entitled to be lawfully married" and Australian marriage law permits (heterosexual) marriage between an aunt or uncle and a nephew or niece, provided both parties are of marriageable age (currently 18). In New South Wales the crime of incest generally only applies where the victim is aged 16 or over (the age of consent in that state); in cases where the victim is under 16, the accused would generally be charged with sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 16, or in cases where the victim is under 10, the accused would generally be charged with sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 10.

In all other jurisdictions the crime of incest also exists where the victim is below the age of consent, but this does not exclude the possibility of bringing the more general charge of sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 10 or 16 as the case may be. This is particularly relevant where a certain form of sexual conduct between related persons falls outside of the legal definition of incest in a particular jurisdiction.

In all states, close blood-relatives that fall under the incest statutes include father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, and in some states, first cousins, although Rhode Island allows uncles to marry their nieces if they are part of a community, such as orthodox Jews, for whom such marriages are permitted. Many states also apply incest laws to non-blood relations including stepparents, step-siblings, and in-laws.

UCLA Law Professor Eugene Volokh has questioned the rationale behind laws prohibiting incest, at least as they apply to sex between adults.

Complete guidance of parents It is also important to listen to your children. If they tell you, or indicate in any way, that they are being sexually assaulted it is important to believe them. Young children do not have the knowledge to make this kind of thing up. To tell someone this information is terrifying for a child. They fear that they will not be believed, but they also fear for their abuser; despite what he/she has done to them he/she still a family member. If a child tells you that something has happened, believed them and go to the authorities immediately.

Due to the nature of the psychological effects of incest, therapy targeted towards incest victims generally focuses on the facts that victim was not at fault. Therapists work to make the victim understand that the abuse was not a result of the victims actions, or behaviors, and that the only person at fault is the perpetrator. Therapists emphasize the importance of this realization as it can make an enormous difference in self confidence and self-esteem.

Stories and Cases of Incest

Given the inbreeding of the various clans, a high proportion of children are born with birth defects, mental retardation, and physical deformities. One of MooreEmmetts narrators reports that, in the Kingston group, birth defects are viewed as Gods punishment of mothers who are not sufficiently submissive to their husbands or faithful to the church.

Father-Daughter Relationship A father and his daughter shocked the nation when they went on stage at the Steve Wilkos Show and announced that they were involved in a sexual relationship. Morgan and Brittany were originally booked to appear on the Jerry Springer Show, but as producers obtained more information about the story, they ultimately decided not to air it, stating that it was all just a bit "to real" for their standards.

The story was passed to Steve Wilkos, who agreed to air a twosegment show about the relationship.

Morgan and his 18-year-old daughter Brittany stated that her family had kept them apart for 9 years before they had reunited through MySpace when she was 16. Brittany stated that she sought her father out and found him on MySpace. She then suspected that her father was romantically interested in her after he began commenting on photographs that she had posted of her breasts and bottom. During "part two" of the show, Brittany revealed that she may have become pregnant with her father's baby. When Steve pointed out that the child may have birth defects, she stated that there was no scientific proof that the baby would come out "all weird". She admitted that she was not using a method of birth control because she wanted to have "seven kids". She took a pregnancy test and luckily, it was negative.

On the same show, she asked Wilkos to put her father through a lie detector test to prove he wasn't cheating on her. He failed the test. Wilkos offered Brittany therapeutic sessions for her life-long trauma and gave her an opportunity to leave her father. She declined the offer. Morgan stated that the relationship was consensual; therefore, it couldn't be considered abuse. He also stated that he considered his daughter his "soul mate." One may wonder if this story is real, but Wilkos stated that the couple provided "proof" of their kinship and reportedly made a video of their sexual encounters. Father, daughter incest pair 'lived under same roof' An ex-wife of the South Australian man who had a baby with his daughter has rubbished claims the pair had almost no contact for 30 years. Dorothy Deaves told ninemsn John and Jenny Deaves, who have now had two babies together, lived under the same roof when Jenny was a 15-year-old girl. John and Jenny claimed in an interview broadcast on 60 Minutes that they began a sexual relationship after Jenny tracked down the father she had never known. But Jenny attended Dorothy and her father John's wedding reception in 1984 and stayed with them for a week, Ms Deaves claims.

The 69-year-old said Jenny stayed with them four times during their marriage, which collapsed after the father-daughter duo took a trip together to Dubbo in 2000.

Dorothy said both father and daughter broke up with their marriage partners after the Dubbo visit.

"I'm devastated he has hurt me terribly," she said. "It was hard to face for a long time.

"It's one of those things everyone's so upset about." John and Jenny Deaves were found guilty last month of a single charge of performing an act of incest with the other. Court documents show that the first child the pair conceived in 2001 died soon after being born from a congenital disease. They now have an apparently healthy nine-month-old baby girl. The sentencing remarks show the pair was charged with two counts of incest in 2007 after police were tipped off about their relationship following an investigation by the Department for Families and Communities South Australia. The pair was initially bailed on the condition that Mr. Deaves have no contact with Ms Deaves or their child a condition the judge said drove Mr. Deaves to attempt suicide twice. Judge Millsteed described the incestuous relationship as "unacceptable" but not one where a father violated his daughter and used his position of authority to take advantage of her powerlessness". The judge said he took into account the consensual nature of the relationship and the fact it didn't involve exploitation when recording a conviction. The pair was placed on a three-year $500 good behaviour bond; with the condition they don't have a sexual relationship. Mr Deaves told 60 Minutes sex with his daughter was "fantastic" even though he initially thought it was wrong. "Emotions take over, as people no doubt realise, there are times during your life where emotions do rule the heart, it rules the head," he said.

"I knew it was illegal, of course I knew it was illegal but you know, so what." The two reunited 30 years after Mr Deaves who was once jailed for armed robbery separated from his daughter's mother.

Ms Deaves said soon after meeting her father again, she began to see him as a man first and a father second. "I was looking at him, sort of going, oh, he's not too bad," she said.

"Like you might look at a man across the bar at a nightclub."

Mother-Son Relationship A Mother and Her Son It had been two years since Tommy Ritter's father died. Tommy was sixteen when the tragedy occurred. While Tommy missed his dad a lot, it was no more than his mom did. Their life had been ideal--living in the suburbs, two-car garage, and nice schools. Everything was just about perfect until the accident. Bob Ritter had been driving home from work late one night when a drunken driver crossed the centreline and hit his car head-on. He never had a chance. The police said that the other car had been travelling at almost one hundred miles per hour. The funeral was difficult for everyone. Bob and Sue's relatives flew in from around the country and were a big help to Tommy and his mother. However, when the funeral was over, she and Tommy had to go home and deal with the loss alone. The accident changed their lives dramatically. Tommy's mom, Sue, had to go back to work to make ends meet and they had to sell their house. However, in the two years since Bob's death, Sue had done very well in her job and she had been lucky in the stock market. She had purchased a new house for her and Tommy, smaller than before, but very comfortable nonetheless. The job and investments provided enough money to enjoy life and take an occasional vacation. While the two years since the accident had been financially stable, it was emotionally difficult. On an emotional level, she and Tommy were still struggling. They leaned on each other for support and therefore had grown closer than the typical mother and teenaged son. Tommy Ritter became the man of the house overnight, but he knew that he couldn't make up for the loss of his dad to his mother.

Tommy was a tall, handsome and lean boy at 6' 1" and 175 pounds. He was bigger than most of his classmates. However, while he appeared to be a confident teenager, he was, in fact, very shy and overly sensitive. Although, he had his dad's handsome face and the bright blue eyes of his mom, he wasn't comfortable with girls. Tommy wanted to date, but every time he was around an attractive girl, he would become tongue-tied and embarrass himself. It was easier for him just to avoid those situations. Besides, he almost felt like he would be cheating his mom if he dated.

Now 18, Tommy had graduated from high school with honours and had earned a football scholarship to a local university. While he looked like the All-American boy, he had never had a girlfriend. His shyness was an incredible embarrassment for him. The shyness was primarily the result of a slight stutter that he had developed not long after his father died. He had hid it successfully from his mother so far and most of the time he could cover it up. However, it tended to show up when he was nervous and all too often, that was in the presents of girls his age. Sue Ritter was still a very attractive woman as well. She was tall at 5' 7" with a well-proportioned body. However, like most women, she was critical of her body. She thought that her butt was too round and that her breasts were too large. Her tendency was to dress on the conservative side to cover up her perceived flaws. Sue had been desperately lonely since Bob's death. Although, she tried not to lean on Tommy too much, he seemed to be the only one that really understood. She didn't have to explain to him how she felt when she was sad, angry, or lonely. He just knew. Sue thought that she could read Tommy as well. Out of sheer loneliness, Sue had tried dating. Unfortunately, she hadn't met anyone that she really liked or connected with on an emotional level or for that matter, on a physical level. Sue still had strong sexual desires. However, she needed more from a man. She needed tenderness and understanding first. Most of the men she dated seemed to think that because she was a young widowed woman that she would jump into bed at the drop of a hat. Tommy tried to encourage her to go out and have some fun, but whenever he suggested that she find someone, she would always tell him that he was the only man she needed in her life now. It was almost as if she would be cheating Tommy or somehow hurting Bob's memory. While she knew deep inside it was time to move on, she couldn't let go of the past. Now 36, Sue worked hard to keep the family financially solvent. Her job as a public relations executive was rewarding but time consuming. She had to work 12 hour days and sometimes Saturdays. Tommy talked her into wearing sexier clothes and had even convinced her that she looked great with short skirts and low cut tops. He told her that she needed to show off her assets to get ahead in business. It had worked on the business level. However, her good looks also attracted a lot of unwanted attention from men. Whenever Tommy would tell her that she should date, she would turn his comments around and say he should be the one dating. Sue was more concerned about her son's lack of social development then

she was about dating herself. She wanted him to go out and have fun, yet he would be home most weekend nights with her. Brother-Sister Relationship I consider myself to be extremely lucky for having apart from two caring and loving parents, also a brother-who entered my life three and a half years after I was born-to turn to whether I am happy or in distress. Being the oldest child in our family, I was usually the one that had to listen to all the parenting advice before my brother was old enough to take a stand. Although our relationship has been through a lot of ups and downs, now that we both technically belong to the adult group of the family, I consider my brother to be one of the most caring and smart individuals I know and consider him to be irreplaceable in my life. I catch myself often travelling back in time and remembering with nostalgia those instances that we felt compelled to fight over a toy or a T-shirt, although we both knew that trouble was on its way since we were supposed to wash our hands and get ready to sit down at the dinner table with our parents. I smile when I recall those Sunday mornings that I had to run to my brother's bedroom as my mother entered his room in order to begin narrating his favourite story. Although I do not remember how this became a family "ritual" that lasted throughout our childhood-since the usual practice for kids is to listen to fairytales before getting to bed-my mother was always ready to repeat the story of the righteous young man and his successful fight against the misunderstood monster that frightened the inhabitants of an imaginary village. The tone of her voice and the moral of the story always made us wake up with a feeling of excitement that everything in life is possible. Well, I am proud to admit that my brother is a living proof of that old saying. Without hesitating and by being confident of his abilities and his willingness to experience the world, he was the one that took first the step of travelling abroad, studying the subject matter of his choice, becoming a young promising professional in his field of expertise, buying a house, and still keep his friends close and my parents happy with his life's choices. The truth is that our relationship has changed considerably over the years. While at the beginning was more or less similar to any brother-sister relationship you have been probably exposed to, although we were not jealous of each other, somehow we managed through similar experiences and common life goals to establish a very sincere and open channel of communication. Maybe it seems too honest at times for me to handle with confidence, but the fact remains that I am grateful to have the opportunity of speaking with my brother whenever I please, to give him my advice when he asks for it and not to be afraid to raise an argument that might not find him in agreement. Having an adult brother-sister relationship is one of those things in life I cherish and consider myself extremely lucky for being able to enjoy. My sincere wish for both of us is to continue opening up each other, understand and respect our differences, learn from each others mistakes, and of course, increase the frequency of our visits to one another. One thing I miss terribly is his face. He is one of the people I

know I can laugh with and cry in front of without later feeling embarrassed I did. I consider this feeling to be unique; at least for me.
How we fell in love, by the brother and sister who grew up apart and met in their 20s

Perhaps it is because Danielle Heaney and Nick Cameron don't look in the least alike that they pass so easily for a pair of young lovers no different from any other. She is a petite, delicate, blue-eyed blonde, while he is a strapping young man with auburn hair and soft brown eyes which never stray for long from her face. They hold hands, they kiss, they stroke each other's arms, and they listen attentively to each other. They are totally besotted. What makes this scene so disturbing, however, is the fact that Danielle and Nick are half brother and sister. Incest remains one of society's last taboos, as this troubled young couple know only too well. Prison is the ever present threat to this forbidden union. "I know that loving my brother in this way is wrong morally and legally, but it just feels right," says 22-year-old Danielle. "The only way to explain it is to say that the day I met Nick, I felt I had finally met my soul mate. Everything clicked. I would marry him if I could." Nick, 28, adds: "My feelings are very confused. We are very deeply in love with each other, but sometimes I think 'she's my little sister. I shouldn't be feeling this way.' "All I know is that for the first time in my life I feel I belong. I should feel ashamed of it, but I don't." Danielle and Nick have different fathers but the same mother. They grew up apart after Nick was placed in foster care as a child, and only met as adults in August 2006. At the meeting in their mother Susan's home in Glenrothes, Fife, they were both struck with an unexpected thunderbolt of recognition, physical attraction and almost instant longing.

Within three weeks they were lovers and Danielle's marriage to her 28-yearold husband was over. He moved out of the marital home with their child and it is he who now looks after their four-year-old daughter. As for their mother Susan, 48, she rues the day she invited her lost-long son back into the family hoping to make up for all the years she missed with him. It was Susan who reported them to police after walking in on them making love in the autumn of 2006, and shouted in horror: "What you are doing is morally wrong." She is barely on speaking terms with them now. Earlier this month the pair was put on a year's probation by Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court after admitting incest, at an earlier court hearing. They were warned that if they had sexual intercourse again they could face a jail sentence of up to two years. After nine months enforced separation, which was part of their bail conditions, the pair celebrated their reunion with champagne and Nick was this week planning to move back into Danielle's flat in Glenrothes. Surely they are playing with fire? Both insist they will not have sex again, but admit they are still infatuated with each other. Both still act like lovers rather than siblings. They've even discussed moving to another country, such as France, where incest is not illegal so they can live together as partners - although they would not be allowed to marry. They accept that, even if they were to remain lovers, they can never have children together because of the genetic risks to the child of inbreeding. "Those nine months on bail when I couldn't see or speak to Danielle were sheer torture," says Nick, a croupier, who moved to Glasgow to live with an uncle after their arrest, "I went through a profound depression. "It felt to me as if we'd only just found each other and here we were being separated again. We just want that closeness back. We don't want to be apart. "We have an unbreakable bond. Of course, it will be hard living together and there will always be temptation, but we have decided that we can still love each other without having sex. "I love Danielle and because of that I don't want to do anything which might put her in prison, and she feels the same way about me. The sexual expression of our feelings is only one part of the relationship."

Danielle, a former hairdresser, adds: "What we can't live without is the closeness and intimacy. We can still talk, we can still go for walks, and we can still love each other. "Legally we can still kiss, still hold hands, still carry on together, we just can't have intercourse." Short of installing a CCTV camera in their home to ensure no law is broken again, we shall just have to take their word for it. The pair says they plan to go to joint counselling to try to understand their intense and confusing feelings. "Obviously there have to be boundaries, because incest is illegal in this country," says Nick, "but maybe, with counselling, we can move our relationship on to a more normal brother-sister one. "That may not be what we want at the moment because we are in love, but perhaps those feelings will fizzle out and we will be able to keep the bond that we have within the proper boundaries." While Danielle and Nick's story is undoubtedly shocking, it is not as uncommon as many of us might wish to think. Genetic sexual attraction is a recognised psychological phenomenon, which sometimes affects siblings or blood relatives separated at birth, who then meet later as adults. The term is believed to have first been coined in America in the 1980s by a woman called Barbara Gonyo, who wrote about the unexpected lust she felt for the adult son she'd given up for adoption 26 years earlier. The relationship was never consummated because those feelings were never reciprocated and they eventually faded when her son married.

According to research, first published in the British Medical Journal in 1995, by Dr Maurice Greenberg and Professor Roland Littlewoods, 50 per cent of people seeking post-adoption counselling "experienced strong sexual feelings in reunions" with their real family. This can happen between siblings, mother/son and father/daughter and is believed to be the adult response to the absence of "bonding" in childhood. The natural repulsion brothers and sisters often feel for each other as children is a safeguard against incest and those who miss out on that bonding, according to psychologists, can develop obsessive feelings for their sibling as an adult.

Those feelings may or may not become sexual, but those that do take that course challenge our notion of incest because there is no coercion or abuse between consenting adults. Danielle and Nick believe that they too are victims of genetic sexual attraction and are only speaking now because they want to highlight an issue few people are prepared to talk publicly about. Either that or they are trying to find psychological excuses for behaviour that many would consider reprehensible. They may not have been able to control their feelings but it was their choice to act on them, ignoring their responsibilities not only to each other, but their family.

Illustration and diagram : the result of the survey

Definition of incest

Possible cause of incest

Agreement of issue of incest

Acceptance of incest in family

Bibliography Books Brain, Christine and Denry Mukherji Understanding Child Psychology pp. 122-123 Grolier International Grolier Academic Encyclopedia pp. 249-273 Laundau, Elliot D. Child Development through Literature pp. 590-591 Sarason, Irwin G. Abnormal Psychology: Types of Sexual Deviations University of Washington pp. 590-591

Standard Educational Corporation New Standard Encyclopedia, IJ. Vol.9 (Chicago) pp. 1-51 Robertson, Ian Sociology 3rd Edition Chapter 9 pp. 225 Hutchison, Elizabeth D. Dimensions of Human Behavior Third Edition (The Changing Life Course) Chapter 6: Adolescence pp. 267 Whitehead, Barbara Dafoe The Divorce Culture pp. 147 Robertson, Ian Sociology Third Edition Unit 2: The Individual, Culture and Society pp. 236-237 Hutchison, Elizabeth D. Dimensions of human Behavior Third Edition (The Changing Life Course) pp. 115 Rudd, Jane M.; Herzberger, Sharon D. Brother-Sister-Incest-Father-Daughter Incest: A comparison of characteristics and consequences Child Abuse and Neglect pp. 915-928 Baird, PAMC Gillivray Children of Incest pp. 854-954 Robins, Eli; Marol Sagher Male and Female Homosexuality Waverly Press Inc. Baltimore, USA pp. 295 Nemeroff, Charles B.; Craighead, Edward (2001) The Cousins Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science Ney York Willey ISBN 0-471-24096-6

Conger, John Gabeway; Hoston, Carol; Kagan Jerome; Musren, Paul Henry. Child Development and Personality 6th Edition pp. 480-483 Websites https://www.abs-cbnnews.com/dept/11/07/10/incest/casesrising http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incest http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-514809/How-fell-love-brother-sister-grew-apartmet-20s.html http://www.psychforums.com/sexual-abuse-incest/ http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/443023/father-daughter-incest-pair-lived-undersame-roof http://whitewatch.info/2011/05/21/white-fatherdaughter-incest-story---too-much-foreven-jerry-springer.aspx Recommendation I highly recommend this research study to those people who are having doubts in their feelings towards to a certain family member. With this, they will think over what will be the effect if they pursue their feelings. I also recommend this to all family members and of course, the students to understand the situation which is being tied by the Church and our laws. The study shows the morality of an individual that dwells in the laws implemented by our government. Even though our country is a democratic, we still have to obey the rules of society, morality and religious beliefs.