| sex role | The degree to which an individual acts out a stereotypical masculine or feminine role in everyday behaviour. Compare: gender role. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| gender role | The sex of a child assigned by a parent; when opposite to the child's anatomical sex (e.g., due to genital ambiguity at birth or to the parents' strong wish for a child of the opposite sex), the basis is set for postpubertal dysfunctions. See: sex role, sex reversal. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| role | The expected and characteristic pattern of behaviour exhibited by an individual as a member of a particular social group. (12 Dec 1998) |
| role conflict | The dilemma an individual experiences when required to play two different parts (e.g., spouse and aggressive business competitor) that cannot be easily harmonised. (05 Mar 2000) |
| role playing | 1. The adopting or performing the role of another significant individual in order to gain insight into the behaviour of that person. 2. <psychology> A psychotherapeutic method used in psychodrama to understand and treat emotional conflicts through the enactment or re-enactment of stressful interpersonal events. See: psychodrama. (05 Mar 2000) |
| physician's role | The expected and characteristic behaviour of a physician as a member of the medical profession. (12 Dec 1998) |
| complementary role | A role in which the behaviour pattern conforms with the expectations and demands of other people. (05 Mar 2000) |
| sick role | Behaviour patterns consistent with those expected of an individual functioning in a state of ill health. (12 Dec 1998) |
| noncomplementary role | A role that does not conform with the expectations and demands of other people. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pili, sex | Filamentous or elongated proteinaceous structures which extend from the cell surface in gram-negative bacteria that contain certain types of conjugative plasmid. These pili are the organs associated with genetic transfer and have essential roles in conjugation. Normally, only one or a few pili occur on a given donor cell. this preferred use of "pili" refers to the sexual appendage, to be distinguished from bacterial fimbriae (fimbriae, bacterial), also known as common pili, which are usually concerned with adhesion. (12 Dec 1998) |
| primary sex characters | The sex glands, testes or ovaries, and the accessory sex organs. (05 Mar 2000) |
| safe sex | Sexual practices that limit the risk of transmitting or acquiring an infectious disease via exchanges of semen, blood, and other bodily fluids, e.g., use of a condom, mutual masturbation, and avoidance of anal intercourse. (05 Mar 2000) |
| heterogametic sex | <biology> The gender which has two different sex chromosomes. For example: In humans, the male is heterogametic because he is XY (has an X chromosome and a Y chromosome). In birds, the female is heterogametic because she is WZ (has a W chromosome and a Z chromosome). Compare: homogametic sex. (09 Oct 1997) |
| secondary sex characters | Those character's peculiar to the male or female that develop at puberty, e.g., the beard of men and the breasts of women. (05 Mar 2000) |
| homogametic sex | <genetics> The gender which has two copies of the same sex chromosome. For example: In humans, the female is homogametic because she is XX (has two copies of the X chromosome). In birds, the male is homogametic because he is ZZ (has two copies of the Z chromosome). Compare: heterogametic sex. (09 Oct 1997) |
| sex | 1. The distinguishing peculiarity of male or female in both animals and plants; the physical difference between male and female; the assemblage of properties or qualities by which male is distinguished from female. 2. One of the two divisions of organic beings formed on the distinction of male and female. 3. <botany> The capability in plants of fertilizing or of being fertilized; as, staminate and pistillate flowers are of opposite sexes. One of the groups founded on this distinction. The sex, the female sex; women, in general. Origin: L. Sexus: cf. F. Sexe. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |