Is it normal to be attracted to family members

Freud has a psychoanalytical mindset and a lot of people disagree with that. So I see why people would think he was wrong. He was also kind of a nutcase. Psychoanalytical studies are usually controversial and maybe there should have been more studies but the theory has been around for quite some time and it's always going to be something that people disagree with. I think people do subliminally have an attraction for family members or people resembling their family members, not only with looks but with personalities too.

It was when we made incest a taboo that people denied those feelings of attraction. Like this: Like Loading Paint me unimpressed. Michael, Neuro: You didn't even read the article, did you? Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. You may be attracted to your older sister because you are hormonal and perhaps you are not able to reach out to members of the sex you are attracted to outside of the family, because of social anxiety or other factors, like not being able to leave. There are some other reasons why you might be attracted to your older sister, some of which include:.

Whatever the reason for you being attracted to your older sister, it is not something that is totally normal, and you need to talk to somebody about it, especially if it is causing you significant distress.

GSA between half siblings stands for Genetic Sexual Attraction between half siblings, that is, a genetic sexual attraction between people who have either a mother or father in common, but not both. GSA is a description of a rather powerful sexual attraction that occurs when biological relatives like half siblings, or even parent and child, or siblings meet for the first time as adults and expereince attraction towards each other despite sharing genetic material.

GSA between half siblings, siblings, parents and children or even cousins, is a concept that has been around since the s when it was first identified by Barbara Gonyo, who fell madly in love with her son. Genetic sexual attraction happens when estranged people who share blood relations meet for the first time in their adulthood, which means that they basically meet as strangers who might not even be related. The evolutionary perspective behind GSA in half siblings, siblings or cousins may simply be that nature tries to propel forward the process of procreation, due to which the genetic and biological ties are immediately turned into potential factors for successful progeny.

There have been many instances of GSA between half siblings and real siblings as well, like in this case, where a woman met her long lost brother after 36 years and immediately became attracted to him:.

They had dinner after the initial meeting, and after that they had consensual sex, about which she says:. You might be attracted to family members because you have not been able to get adequate release with people or because you have experienced dysfunctional family ties which have led to a blurring of familial boundaries, leading to a sexualization of family members.

We are usually not attracted to family members because we have always lived with them and this desensitizes us to them sexually, and leads to not feeling attraction towards them. However, there are some cases in which one might be attracted to their family members, one instance may be when they have not always lived with their family members, and therefore they are meeting for the first time after reaching puberty so they see each other as practically strangers.

Another instance, which most people may consider much more problematic for various reasons, is when there is a psychological distance between the family members, which may not be as significant as a physical or geographical distance in real life, but it may be just as potent in leading to attraction between family members.

When there is no connection between the family members, the possibility of attraction between them becomes much higher, and while it may seem odd that distant members in a family may be attracted to each other, it is possible when there is no hostility, just distance.

In fact, attraction between cousins does often culminate into marriage or serious relationships as well, which shows in the fact that these states allow marriage between cousins:. These laws exist to ensure that people are not just fooling around and there are more serious laws that the person needs to adhere to in many states before they can marry a cousin they are attracted to, most of which involve needing one of the cousins to be infertile or older than 50, Long lost siblings often fall in love, and the reason for this is the Westermarck impact, which you may remember refers to people who share genetic material meeting and falling in love when they meet for the first time.

Many rich and famous families in the past have dealt with intimate family relationships as a means of keeping bloodlines pure, but it started becoming a thing that was taboo and not allowed when it became clear that children of individuals who are related can have major problems.

There have been many instances of long lost siblings falling in love, look at these two stories, for instance:. As I got to know her, I felt she had given me a life transmission. She put a smile in my heart and a spring in my step. I know we share the same blood, but we never grew up together so it is completely different to other siblings.

I was adopted when I was three, I always felt something was missing and yearned to find my real family. In this article, we answered some common questions about intimate family relationships How common is sibling attraction? Are intimate family relationships a crime in the UK? As a summary, there are enough cases of romantic and passionate love between brother and sister to convince us that yes, intimate sibling relationships can happen.

The reason behind this is the familiarity of their traits, that makes them believe they have found the ideal partner. It is not normal to be attracted to family members, however there are enough cases out there to prove that this happens.

GSA means that a strong sexual attraction may develop between close blood relatives, but only when the two first meet as adults. When a daughter between the age of 3 and 6 is attracted to her father we may speak of the Electra complex.

Maybe you are confused as to your role and identity or simply need someone to speak to. LGBTQ counsellor s are specially trained to assist you in this regard.

DeYoung, M. How Common is Sibling Incest? How Common is Brother Sister Incest? Although it seems an impossible, unnatural situation, it sometimes happens. Love and physical attraction between brother and sister can be a form of co-dependence. You also become extremely jealous, wishing all the attention and love of your brother or sister. The relationship is new, the deep connection between them is old, from their birth.

How common is it for brothers and sisters to experiment? Why would a brother be attracted to his sister? Physical relationship with sister An individual might have a physical relationship with their sister as a means of experimentation or understanding sexuality, and these relationships tend to begin around the ages of 9 to 16 because this is the time when they start to discover their sexual organs and sexual feelings.

Why am I attracted to my older sister? There are some other reasons why you might be attracted to your older sister, some of which include: Sex might be too taboo around the household, making the desire or need that much more pronounced, projecting it on to people nearby You might not be experiencing as adequate a release as you and your body need, by way of masturbation or indulging in other sexual fantasies You might be experiencing a particularly turbulent and hormonal puberty There may not be as much age difference between you and your older sister, as this also contributes in the sister may be seen more as a peer and less as a blood relative You may have gotten too influenced by adult-contents or mainstream media that depicts such relationships often and you might have seen too many instances of a brother being attracted to their older sister being normalized.

GSA Half Siblings GSA between half siblings stands for Genetic Sexual Attraction between half siblings, that is, a genetic sexual attraction between people who have either a mother or father in common, but not both. And unlike the somewhat debatable GSA, researchers are quite sure that the Westermarck effect is biologically — not psychologically — based.

In a nutshell, kids who grow up in close proximity — sharing bath and bedrooms, rolling around on the kitchen floor, wrestling and fighting, even hugging and kissing — will develop a strong "positive" sexual aversion to each other when puberty sets in. It's the feeling most of us get when we imagine sex with a sibling, a visceral "yuck.

Ironically, says Turner, in families and cultures where brothers and sisters are separated at an early age, the Westermarck effect never gets a chance to set in, thereby increasing the chances that siblings will develop an undesirable attraction later in life.

As an aside, parents shouldn't worry too much if they catch their prepubescent children playing "doctor. But from the data I've seen, and it's really lousy data, it shows that for the most part either the kids were raised apart, or the family is abusive and dysfunctional.

One of the most common scenarios, he says, is a dynamic involving an abusive father and an angry son, who takes out his aggression on his younger sister. We'll notify you here with news about. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest?