This research explores the controversial phenomenon of incestuous behavior in men, emphasizing that such tendencies can reflect a sexual preference rather than being directly caused by borderline or other personality traits or by early maladaptive cognitive schemas. The study involved 48 males with confirmed incestuous tendencies. Nearly half of the participants (49%) exhibited borderline personality traits alongside abandonment maladaptive cognitive schemas, with a median age of 38.17 years (SD ± 9.24) and an average educational level of 13.11 years (SD ± 1.71). Data collection employed the Millon Multiaxial Clinical Inventory-III, the Young Cognitive Schema Questionnaire (YSQ-L3a), and the Paraphilic Disorders Questionnaire (PDQ). Analysis revealed notable correlations between borderline traits and the abandonment cognitive schema, indicating frequent interaction between these factors. However, while borderline traits were associated with incestuous tendencies, no direct link was observed with the abandonment cognitive schema. Factor analysis further showed that neither borderline traits, abandonment schemas, nor their interaction reliably predicted incestuous behavior. These results suggest that male incestuous inclination may stem from atypical sexual interests rather than underlying personality or paraphilic disorders.
