Incest is defined as the act of sexual intercourse between close relatives. This includes relationships between parents, children, siblings or grandchildren. The specific behavior that classifies sexual relationships as incest varies in different cultures and societies. However, almost all societies consider incest to be taboo. In the United States, incest can be divided into many subcategories, and the legality of each varies from state to state. For example, incest between consenting adults is considered a criminal offense in all but two states: New Jersey and Rhode Island. However, in cases of child sexual abuse, it is considered a crime in all states. Despite this, child sexual abuse remains one of the most common, yet unreported, crimes in America. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Child sexual abuse is a complex social issue and its facets are vast. In this article I will examine the issue of child sexual abuse, through Sigmund Freud's theory of the Oedipus complex, as well as his theory of repression in the unconscious mind. I will first draw the connections between the Oedipus complex and how it might relate to the occurrence of child sexual abuse. I will then change the subject and move on to discuss the impact of child sexual abuse and how repression can occur in the unconscious mind of the victim. Sigmund Freud, the famous Austrian neurologist and father of psychoanalysis, was interested in the topic of incest and psychoanalysis. he dedicated much of his book “Totem and Taboo” to this topic. In his book, Freud discusses how the incest taboo arose and why it is present in almost all human societies. He does this using his theory of the Oedipus Complex, which he developed based on the story of a Greek tragic hero, Oedipus, who unknowingly killed his father to consummate a marriage with a woman for whom he had a strong attraction as a child, who in Later he discovers that she is his mother. Freud's psychoanalytic theory of the Oedipus Complex describes an important aspect of the phallic stage - the third out of five stages of a child's psychosexual development. During this stage, the child is libidinally attracted to his or her caregiver and experiences feelings of resentment toward the other parent. Freud points out that this Complex reaches its peak during the phallic stage when children are between the ages of 3 and 6. It is also important to note that a child can enter the next stage of sexual development healthy only if a total dissolution of the Oedipus complex occurs. This complicated psychosexual transition that occurs in parent-child relationships has been used to examine the epidemic of child sexual abuse in this country. In the United States, “[1]90% of victims of child sexual abuse know the perpetrator in some way. 68% suffer abuse from a family member." Some sociologists have established links between parental child sexual abuse and the Oedipus complex. One sociologist, in particular, Peter Loader, provides a familiar perspective on Freud's “Oedipus complex.” In his piece, Loader suggests that this psychosexual transition in itself is difficult not only for the child but also for the parent. “[2] The transition from exclusive dyadic relationships to triangular family systems is a challenge for both parents and children. Their failure to negotiate this transition represents a profound family dysfunction that can lead to child maltreatment, including overt child abuse.” In other words, there may be cases where parents are unable to mediatetheir child's natural progression from the sexually charged phallic Oedipal stage, to the Latent stage, and this failure to reach the dissolution of the Oedipus Complex stage can lead to family dysfunction, such as sexual abuse. Another scholar who further highlights the implications of the Oedipal phase, regarding child sexual abuse is Anna Freud, who appears to be the daughter of SigmundFreud. Similar to Loader, Anna in her piece emphasizes the fragility of the Oedipal phase. While on the one hand, Loader discusses the challenges faced by both the child and the parent during the Oedipal phase, Anna Freud goes a step further and analyzes the effect that the disruption of the Oedipal phase has on a child. She argues that “[3] normal progress towards adult forms of sexuality depends on careful management of these very vulnerable processes, on the one hand without interfering with their sequential order, on the other without totally frustrating them or overly licensing them . .” In other words, any form of sexual abuse during this period will significantly harm the normal developmental growth of the child. Anna Freud goes on to state that in terms of harmful effects, this disruption is superior to "[4] abandonment, neglect, physical abuse or any other form of abuse." These two sociologists offer insightful perspectives on the implications of the Oedipus complex. regarding sexual abuse of minors. However, in my research, I found an area that was not covered by any studies, which is what explains reverse attraction. Many studies tend to ignore the flip side of the situation in explaining the offender's psychological and sexual attraction to a child. To change the subject, I will now discuss the consequences of child sexual abuse and the effect such trauma has on the unconscious mind of the child. victim. As I said before, child sexual abuse is among the most common, yet unreported, crimes in the United States. Victims of sexual abuse are less likely to come forward than victims of other crimes for several reasons. Some of the main reasons involve shame and fear of stigma. However, there is a less discussed reason that prevents victims from reporting sexual abuse crimes, and that is the repression of memories surrounding the sexual abuse event. According to the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, over the “[5] last 10 years, scientific studies have demonstrated a connection between childhood trauma and amnesia.” Sigmund Freud proposed an idea that would support this connection almost a century ago: the idea of ​​Repression. To understand Repression, one must first understand the human psyche as explained by Freud. Freud believed that the human psyche was composed of three main parts: Id, Ego and Superego. The id was defined by Freud as a “bubbling cauldron of excitation”. This part of our psyche is driven by libidinal energy and immediate gratification. In other words, it “obeys” the Pleasure Principle. The Ego serves as a kind of check and balance, which differs from the Id, obeys the Reality Principle. The Reality Principle can be understood as acceptable behavior within the norms of a society. Finally, the superego has an agency of morality and evaluates the impulses of the id. It is also said to result from the dissolution of the Oedipus complex. The id and superego are thought to be in constant conflict with each other, with the id tending to act after pleasure and the superego evaluating such impulses and making decisions based on morality. This internal conflict can be both conscious and subconscious. This is where the Ego comes in, with its coping mechanisms to protect our conscious and unconscious and reduce the effects of this conflict between the Id and the.