Taboo
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What does the word 'taboo' mean in sociology?
In sociology, a taboo is a prohibition of an action or behavior because it is considered too sacred or too dangerous for ordinary individuals. The term comes from Polynesia, where Captain James Cook first recorded it in Tonga in 1771.
Taboos are present in virtually all societies and serve as a form of social control because they relate to significant actions and objects for the social order. Breaking a taboo is believed to lead to negative consequences for the offender, such as illness or even death. These prohibitions often include dietary restrictions or rules of behavior during important life events, such as marriage or death. Some cultures believe that contact with the dead or with menstruating women should be limited because of their powerful forces. Some cultures believe that the head of a Polynesian chief should not be touched because it would compromise his sacred power.
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Why do some societies have taboos?
Taboos exist in nearly all societies and serve as prohibitions of actions or behaviors considered too sacred or too dangerous for ordinary individuals. Societies develop taboos as a form of social control, often related to significant aspects of social order.
Breaching a taboo is believed to lead to negative consequences for the offender, such as illness or death. Some taboos require ritual to overcome the danger they represent, especially when protecting against powerful but unavoidable beings or situations.
Sigmund Freud suggested taboos arise from ambivalent social attitudes, representing forbidden actions with a strong unconscious inclination, such as the incest taboo. Dietary laws and customs are also examples of taboos that exist in all societies. Ultimately, the meaning and value of any expression of sexuality is determined by the social context within which it occurs.
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What are some common types of taboos?
Taboos are prohibitions of actions or objects based on the belief that such behavior is either too sacred or too dangerous for ordinary individuals. Taboos are present in virtually all societies.
Common types of taboos:
* Dietary restrictions Many cultures have rules about what foods one can and cannot eat. For example, some Inuit groups keep land and sea products separate because they believe the animals find each other repulsive.
* Taboos related to life events Many cultures have taboos surrounding important life events like birth, marriage, and death. For instance, some cultures circumscribe physical contact with menstruating or pregnant women because they are seen as the source of powerful reproductive forces.
* Incest The incest taboo, which prohibits sexual relations between close relatives, is perhaps the most universal taboo.
* Respect for authority Some taboos are meant to prevent the sacred from being defiled by the ordinary. For example, in some Polynesian cultures, ordinary people were prohibited from touching the head of a chief because it would compromise his sacred power.5 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How do taboos help or hurt social groups?
Taboos, prohibitions vital to social order, can both help and hurt social groups. They reinforce social norms by marking certain behaviors as unacceptable, ensuring conformity and group cohesion. For example, incest taboos maintain family structure, while dietary taboos can preserve resources.
However, taboos can also hinder social progress. They might ossify inequalities, as seen in caste systems where dietary rules reinforce social hierarchies and segregation. Moreover, taboos can suppress open discussion and critical examination of societal issues, potentially preventing necessary change and adaptation.
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How can taboos change over time?
Taboos, deeply rooted in social order, aren't static; they evolve with society. As societies become more intricate and diverse, taboos mirror divisions and inequalities, influenced by economic and social factors.
Historical events, religion, and cultural shifts can reshape taboos. For example, Christianity significantly impacted Western views on sexuality, initially promoting antisexuality, which later softened over time. Similarly, the rise of the industrial state and urbanization weakened traditional controls, altering sexual attitudes and activities. These changes lead to the emancipation of women and greater tolerance, impacting societal norms and taboos.
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What happens when someone breaks a taboo in society?
Breaking a taboo, a prohibition of an action based on beliefs that it is either too sacred or too dangerous, can lead to various consequences. These consequences include trouble to the offender, such as lack of success in hunting or fishing, sickness, miscarriage, or even death.
In some cultures, overcoming the danger of breaking a taboo requires ritual cleansing, especially after contact with the dead. Taboos often relate to significant actions tied to the social order and social control. Some are meant to prevent the sacred from being defiled by the ordinary. Dietary restrictions are also common taboos, as are rules for those facing important life events.
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Taboo, the prohibition of an action based on the belief that such behaviour is either too sacred and consecrated or too dangerous and accursed for ordinary individuals to undertake. The term taboo is of Polynesian origin and was first noted by Captain James Cook during his visit to Tonga in 1771; he introduced it into the English language, after which it achieved widespread currency. Although taboos are often associated with the Polynesian cultures of the South Pacific, they have proved to be present in virtually all societies past and present.
Generally, the prohibition that is inherent in a taboo includes the idea that its breach or defiance will be followed by some kind of trouble to the offender, such as lack of success in hunting or fishing, sickness, miscarriage, or death. In some cases proscription is the only way to avoid this danger; examples include rules against fishing or picking fruit at certain seasons and against walking or traveling in certain areas. Dietary restrictions are common, as are rules for the behaviour of people facing important life events such as parturition, marriage, death, and rites of passage.
In other cases, the danger represented by the taboo can be overcome through ritual. This is often the case for taboos meant to protect communities and individuals from beings or situations that are simultaneously so powerful as to be inherently dangerous and so common that they are essentially unavoidable. For example, many cultures require persons who have been in physical contact with the dead to engage in a ritual cleansing. Many cultures also circumscribe physical contact with a woman who is menstruating—or, less often, a woman who is pregnant—because she is the locus of extremely powerful reproductive forces. Perhaps the most familiar resolution to this taboo is the Jewish practice of bathing in a mikvah after menstruation and parturition.
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Taboos that are meant to prevent the sacred from being defiled by the ordinary include those that prohibited ordinary people from touching the head—or even the shadow—of a Polynesian chief because doing so would compromise his mana, or sacred power. As the chief’s mana was important in maintaining the ritual security of the community, such actions were believed to place the entire population at risk.
There is broad agreement that the taboos current in any society tend to relate to objects and actions that are significant for the social order and that, as such, taboos belong to the general system of social control. Sigmund Freud provided perhaps the most ingenious explanation for the apparently irrational nature of taboos, positing that they were generated by ambivalent social attitudes and in effect represent forbidden actions for which there nevertheless exists a strong unconscious inclination. He directly applied this viewpoint to the most universal of all taboos, the incest taboo, which prohibits sexual relations between close relatives.
Other important researchers or theorists on the topic were William Robertson Smith, Sir James G. Frazer, and Wilhelm Wundt; important books have included Freud’s Totem and Taboo (1913), Franz Baermann Steiner’s classic Taboo (1956), and Mary Douglas’s enduring Purity and Danger (1966).