Final answer:
The incest taboo is a cultural norm prohibiting sexual relations between close relatives like parents and offspring, and its scope and limitations vary among different cultures. It is considered a universal phenomenon that plays a key role in defining social structures and sexual norms.
Step-by-step explanation:
The incest taboo refers to a cultural norm that explicitly prohibits sexual relations between closely related individuals, primarily between parents and their offspring. This taboo often also includes other primary kin and may vary somewhat in its restrictions from one culture or society to another. Incest taboos are considered a universal aspect of human culture, although the specifics of which relatives are deemed unacceptable for sexual relationships can differ broadly. For instance, while sexual relationships between parents and their children are universally prohibited, the inclusion of cousins as taboo partners varies among cultures.
Claude Lévi-Strauss, a notable French anthropologist, provided insight into this aspect of social organization by suggesting that incest taboos served to define the boundaries between family members and potential marriage partners, thus creating a division that was foundational to the structure of society. Additionally, sociologists have found that sexual norms, like the incest taboo, reinforce the accepted social system of sexuality within a culture. Sigmund Freud, in his psychoanalytic theory, touched upon the deep psychological dynamics at play in relation to incest, presenting the idea that unconscious desires are regulated by societal norms and religion.