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Incest Avoidance and Prohibition: Psychobiological and Cultural Factors

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Incest Avoidance and Prohibition: Psychobiological and Cultural Factors Psicologia USP http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0103-656420160050 287 Evitação e proibição do incesto: fatores psicobiológicos e culturais Francisco Wilson Nogueira Holanda Júnior* Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicologia. Natal, RN, Brasil Resumo: Embora historicamente a regulação proibitiva do incesto seja considerada um fenômeno cultural quase universal que não é influenciado por fatores psicobiológicos relativos à história evolutiva da espécie humana, evidências recentes têm questionado essa visão tradicional e defendido que a evitação e a proibição do incesto são influenciadas biológica e cognitivamente com a cultura. Este artigo objetiva desenvolver uma discussão teórica acerca da inibição e proibição do incesto, enfatizando os mecanismos evolutivos subjacentes a esses fenômenos. Argumenta-se a existência de mecanismos endógenos que evoluíram porque inibem a atividade sexual entre parentes próximos e que formam a base para regular socialmente a proibição do incesto (mecanismo exógeno). Destaca-se o efeito Westermarck, no qual a proximidade de pessoas que vivem juntas desde a infância provoca uma aversão ao intercurso sexual entre elas. A ausência de propensão ao incesto e sua proibição institucional constituem uma complexa integração entre fatores psicobiológicos e culturais. Palavras-chave: incesto, evitação, proibição, evolução. Introdução por ≥50% dos casamentos consanguíneos nessas popula- ções (Zlotogora, Hujerat, Barges, Shalev, & Chakravarti, O incesto é definido como a prática de relação 2007). Os casamentos consanguíneos de segundo e ter- sexual entre pessoas com graus próximos de parentesco, o ceiro graus oferecem vantagens, como fortalecimento dos qual pode ser de curto ou longo prazo, com ou sem geração laços e relações familiares, garantia de saber da história de de filhos (Lumsden & Wilson, 1980; Read, 2014; Tidefors, vida do cônjuge antes do casamento, facilidade de acertar Arvidsson, Ingevaldson, & Larsson, 2010). Historicamente os dotes e bens da noiva e negociações pré-matrimoniais a regulação social do incesto, que geralmente culmina na simplificadas. proibição, também conhecida como tabu do incesto, foi As próprias fronteiras conceituais do incesto considerada culturalmente universal (Noble & Mason, podem variar conforme o campo de estudo ou referência. 1978; Wolf & Durham, 2004). Embora a extensa difusão Thornhill (1991) formula que os comportamentos referidos dessa proibição dê uma ideia de ubiquidade, há ocorrên- como incestuosos na literatura das ciências sociais podem cias de incesto registradas em algumas sociedades, o que ser divididos em três categorias: a endogamia incestuosa, inclui os casos consentidos e de abuso sexual (DeMause, que diz respeito às relações sexuais entre indivíduos com 1991). As regras proibitivas resguardam algumas particu- parentesco próximo, isto é, cujo parentesco se dá por des- laridades relacionadas à sociedade e ao contexto histórico, cendência direta (por exemplo, entre pais e filhos ou entre apesar de que há tipificações proibitivas comuns: é mais irmãos); a endogamia não incestuosa, que engloba relações provável que nas sociedades atuais o intercurso sexual entre sexuais entre indivíduos com parentesco mais distante (por pais e filhos e entre irmãos seja proibido social, moral ou exemplo, entre primos); a atividade sexual advinda de adul- legalmente com abrangência universal (Sanderson, 2001; térios entre pessoas sem parentesco genético no contexto Shepher, 1983). Em contraste, algumas sociedades encora- familiar (por exemplo, enteado e madrasta). jam o casamento entre primos (Hoben, Buunk, & Fischer, O que Thornhill (1991) classifica como endogamia 2016). Discute-se então se de fato as regras sociais contra incestuosa parece delimitar mais robustamente o núcleo incesto são universais ou quase universais, como Thornhill conceitual de incesto como o intercurso sexual entre paren- (1991) sugere mais apropriadamente. 1 tes próximos (entre pais e filhos, entre irmãos), uma vez Nas sociedades antigas, como a egípcia e a inca, que essa forma de relação sexual leva à maior probabilidade o incesto ocorria para proteger o sangue real, até mesmo de prole defeituosa devido às maiores chances de receber entre irmãos, sendo também identificados casos nos povos um alelo recessivo prejudicial herdado de um ancestral judaicos antigos (Kutz, 2005; Strong, 2006). Nas últimas comum. Cabe pontuar que endogamia e incesto são termos décadas, as maiores taxas de casamento consanguíneo que foram usados mais comumente nas ciências biológicas foram observadas no norte da África, no Oriente Médio e sociais, respectivamente, muitas vezes de forma impre- e em grande parte da Ásia Central e Sul, onde residem cisa (Moore, 1992). Leavitt (1990) demonstra que não é mais de 25% da população mundial. As uniões entre pri- simples fazer a diferenciação visto que ambos os termos mos, especialmente de segundo grau, são responsáveis designam superficialmente a atividade sexual ou acasa- lamento entre seres com graus próximos de parentesco. * Endereços para correspondência: [email protected] Especificamente, a endogamia está atrelada à ideia de 2017 I volume 28 I número 2 I 287-297 287 Francisco Wilson Nogueira Holanda Júnior 288 reprodução entre os indivíduos com parentesco, enquanto apresentar essa natureza e muito menos o porquê dos seres o incesto enfatiza a atividade sexual que pode ou não gerar humanos apresentarem também uma rejeição, evitação ou prole. Especialmente na espécie humana, a atividade sexual inibição às relações incestuosas. Assim, há dois níveis dis- nem sempre resulta na geração de prole. O termo “incesto” tintos, porém integrados: a proibição e a evitação. Conforme tem sido mais utilizado em estudos sobre seres humanos, pontuou Searle (2013), inibição não quer dizer proibição e além alcançar nesta espécie a variável cultural da institu- vice-versa. Isto é, a ausência da inclinação para a relação cionalização da proibição (tabu do incesto). sexual entre parentes não explica a proibição quase uni- A partir da diferenciação supracitada de Thornhill versal sobre esse tipo de relação, bem como a proibição (1991), o termo “incesto” será tratado aqui como referência institucionalizada não explica por que os seres humanos à classificação da endogamia incestuosa. A proibição de rejeitam relações incestuosas. Por que existe um tabu moral relações sexuais entre irmãos ou pais e filhos resguarda para o incesto e qual sua relação com a evolução da espécie a menor ocorrência dessa modalidade de relação consan- humana? O que está no centro do tabu do incesto? Por que guínea, sendo entendido que esses são o tipo genuíno de proibições existem para um comportamento que, aparente- incesto no qual atuam mais fortemente as proibições sociais mente, ninguém está motivado a executar? quando comparado às relações entre parentes de segundo Com base nos achados experimentais da literatura, ou terceiro graus (Saggar & Bittles, 2008). dos recentes trabalhos no campo da psicologia evolucio- De acordo com uma parcela tradicional das ciên- nista, da etologia e das neurociências, este trabalho obje- cias sociais, a universalidade (ou quase universalidade) tiva realizar uma discussão teórica acerca da inibição e da da proibição do incesto está fundamentada em uma base proibição do incesto, enfatizando os mecanismos evolutivos social-cultural que é independente de processos psicobioló- subjacentes a esses fenômenos, bem como as bases bioló- gicos componentes da história evolutiva da espécie humana gicas, os aspectos cognitivos, comportamentais e sociais (Hoebel & Frost, 2006; Wolf & Durham, 2004). Essa abor- envolvidos no tabu do incesto. Serão expostos sequencial- dagem enfatiza que o incesto é interdito socialmente uma mente tópicos de discussão sobre implicações biológicas do vez que ameaça de alguma forma a ordem social. Nessa relacionamento sexual incestuoso, mecanismos evolutivos direção, de acordo com Lévi-Strauss (1976) a proibição do de inibição e proibição do incesto com base na psicologia incesto exprime a passagem do fato natural da consangui- evolucionista, correlatos neurobiológicos da moralidade e nidade ao fato cultural da aliança. Consideram-se, nesse do incesto e considerações éticas e legais. paradigma, as razões que fazem do incesto algo social- mente inconcebível e como se torna regulado pela cultura Implicações biológicas do incesto: os em detrimento da natureza. riscos da endogamia Por outro lado, adotar uma lente que considera somente a variável cultural ou ambiental de determinados Frequentemente argumenta-se que o incesto é comportamentos dos seres humanos, como os comporta- moralmente errado pelas suas consequências biológicas mentos sexuais, resulta em cair nas obsoletas dicotomias indesejáveis decorrentes da relação sexual entre parentes biologia-cultura ou inato-aprendido e em negligenciar biológicos (Bittles, 2012). Proles provenientes de relações que é possível descrever, ao menos parcialmente, proble- consanguíneas de primeiro grau são 17%-40% mais pro- mas e soluções adaptativas, enfrentadas pelos ancestrais váveis de sofrer doenças ou morrer quando comparadas às da espécie. A psicologia evolucionista tem como um dos crianças nascidas de relações não consanguíneas (Aoki, pilares transversais a integração entre fatores biológicos e 2004). Sabe-se que em casos de endogamia entre pai e socioculturais. Se os seres humanos produzem cultura e se filha, um possível diagnóstico de um transtorno autossô- representam nela, a razão de
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