Why does something become more appealing to a person if the thing is considered "taboo"?

star_gazer

Although not proven, our unconscious desires come into play when something is forbidden. Sigmund Freud provided an analysis of taboo behaviors, highlighting strong unconscious motivations driving such prohibitions. In this system, described in his collections of essays Totem and Taboo, Freud postulates a link between forbidden behaviors and the sanctification of objects to certain kinship groups. Freud also states here that the only two "universal" taboos are that of incest and patricide, which formed the eventual basis of modern society. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taboo Jan 10 11, 10:53 PM

satguru

Incest is not taboo in many primitive tribes, where no one from outside has told them there is something wrong with it, while others such as the Trobriand Islanders have their own rules which allow some and not others- in fact it is almost universal in the animal kingdom except humans so would appear to be something natural humans have decided to make taboo. It does mean some things which hurt others are not as much taboo such as murder, but harmful, whereas a true taboo is cultural and based on shared moral values/norms rather than what hurts someone directly. But if you tell many people something is taboo in this sense it will tend to make it appear more interesting as a result. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incest_taboo Jan 11 11, 7:52 PM