The sexual preferences of incest offenders

Inclusive fitness theory, suggests that discriminative solicitude and inbre eding avoidance are important mechanisms regulating parent-children interac tions. From an inclusive fitness perspective, sex with one's biological chi ldren is paradoxical. The authors hypothesized that incest can occur when t hese mechanisms are not activated (e.g., if a father is uninvolved in child rearing) or are overwhelmed by another factor, such as pedophilic interest . They predicted that biological fathers, who presumably have been the most involved in the rearing of their victims, would show greater phallometrica lly measured pedophilic interest than would other incest offenders against children (e.g., grandfathers, uncles, stepfathers). The prediction was not supported. A testable alternative hypothesis to explain biological father i ncest is presented arid the importance of assessing pedophilic interest amo ng incest offenders is discussed.