214 TABOO AND GENETICS 



approval of his fellows, which is rooted in man's 

 gregarious nature, inhibits the tendency to self- 

 indulgence. " A most important factor begins 

 to exert pressure upon the infant at birth and 

 continues throughout its life," says Kempf. 

 " It is the incessant, continuous pressure of the 

 herd ... to conventionalize its methods of 

 acquiring the gratification of its needs." (5). 

 The emotions thus denied a natural outlet seek 

 other channels of activity which have received 

 the sanction of social approval. 



It is obvious that the rigid social regulations 

 concerning sexual activities must enforce repres- 

 sion of the erotic impulses more frequently than 

 any others. The love which is thus denied 

 its biological expression transmutes itself into 

 many forms. It may reach out to envelop all 

 humanity, and find a suitable activity in social 

 service. It may be transformed into the love 

 of God, and find an outlet in the religious life 

 of the individual. Or it may be expressed only 

 in language, in which case it may stop at the 

 stage of erotic fantasy and day-dream, or may 

 result in some reall^^ great piece of poetry or 

 prose. This last outlet is so common that our 

 language is full of symbolic words and phrases 

 which have a hidden erotic meaning attached 

 to them. 



According to Watson, the phenomena seen 

 in this tendency of emotions inhibited at one 



