| HOME Other Health Articles A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z sadist: One who derives sexual pleasure from hurting another person. sadomasochism: A variant sexual behavior in which the infliction of pain (sadism) and the submission to pain and humiliation (masochism) occur simultaneously and voluntarily between partners to achieve sexual arousal or gratification. satyriasis: Compulsive sexual activity in males without the relief of sexual tensions; also called “Don Juanism.” The affected person is sometimes called a “satyr.”: scabies: Infection of the skin by itch mites. scripts: A behavioral scenario that serves as a guide to what we have done in the past, what we are presently doing, and what we plan to do. scrotum: The thin, loose pouch of skin in the male that contains the testes and the spermatic cord. sebaceous glands: The oil-secreting glands of the skin. seduction: Luring, or inducing on the promise of a reward, a female or male into coitus without the use of force. selective sexual behavior: Minimizing the number of one’s different sexual partners and avoiding partners who are more likely to carry a sexually transmitted disease. Also includes avoiding sexual practices that carry high risk of disease transmission. self-actualization: The process of making full use of one’s human potential. self-concept: One’s concept of his or her self as a person. self-esteem: One’s sense of personal worth or value. self-fulfilling prophecies: Predictions that attain fulfillment by virtue of having been predicted or assumed beforehand. semen: A grayish-white, sticky mixture discharged from the urethra of the male during ejaculation; contains the sperm and seminal fluid. seminal fluid: The fluid portion of semen from the seminal vesicles, the prostate gland, and Cowper’s glands. seminal vesicles: Two saclike glands in the male, lying behind the bladder and connected to the vas deferens on each side; secrete a fluid that forms a part of the semen. seminiferous tubules: Highly coiled tubules in the testes that produce sperm. sensate focus: A series of touching exercises for couples undergoing sex therapy to teach nonverbal communication and to reduce anxiety. sensation: Perception or awareness of conditions within or without the body resulting from stimulation of sensory receptors. sensual sensations: Those sensory perceptions that are gratifying or pleasurable. Sertoli cells: Supporting elongated cells of the seminiferous tubules that nourish spermatids. sex: The biological characteristics that distinguish males and females; the biological aspects of reproduction and sexuality. sex chromosomes: The X and Y chromosomes. sex flush: A temporary, reddish, spotty, rashlike color change that may develop on certain body parts during sexual excitement. sex therapy: The treatment of sexual dysfunctions. sexual continuum: A range of sexual attraction with infinite degrees falling between the two extremes of exclusive homosexual attraction and exclusive heterosexual desire. sexual desire: The appetite or drive for sexual activity produced by a specific neural system in the brain, and which precedes the excitement phase of the sexual response cycle. sexual dysfunction: A sexual disorder or impairment which interferes with a full or complete sexual response cycle. sexual harassment: Unwanted sexual attention from someone who is using his or her position or power as a form of coercion. sexual intercourse: Heterosexual intercourse by inserting the penis into the vagina; coitus. sexuality: The sum of a person’s sexual characteristics, behavior, and tendencies; includes biological, psychological, and cultural attributes. sexually transmitted diseases: Diseases that may be transmitted by sexual contact. sexual moral values: The worth assigned to those behaviors or relationships dealing with proper sexual conduct. sexual orientation: One’s attraction to persons of the same, opposite, or both sexes; one’s placement on the continuum ranging from homosexuality to heterosexuality. sexual response: cycle The series of physiological and psychological events the human body goes through as it gains and then loses sexual arousal. sexual self-concept: How one perceives one’s own self sexually, including one’s gender identity, ideas about one’s gender roles, and sense of sexual adequacy. situational morality: A moral standard based on what seems right in the immediate situation. smegma: Thick, cheesy, foul-smelling secretion from sebaceous glands that accumulates under the clitoral hood in the female and under the prepuce of the male. socializing agent: Any person or institution that shapes a person’s values and behavior. sodomy: Oral or anal copulation with a member of the same or opposite sex or any copulation with an animal. sonography: (ultrasonography): The use of ultrasound to form an image, such as of a developing fetus. spectatoring: A psychological process wherein a person becomes a “spectator” to his or her own sexual performance, monitoring and evaluating the performance; a common cause of sexual dysfunctioning. speculum: An instrument for the examination of a canal, such as the vagina. sperm: The male sex cell or gamete. spermatic cord: Cord extending from the abdominal cavity to each testis; contains the vas deferens and various blood vessels and nerves; helps to suspend the testes within the scrotum. spermatogenesis: The formation of mature, functional sperm by the testes. spermicide: A chemical agent that kills or immobilizes sperm and is carried in an inert base (foam, cream, jelly, sponge, or suppository). spirochete: A long, slender, spiral bacterium. spongy body: The lower cylinder of erectile tissue in the penis; extends the length of the penile shaft and forms the penile glans. spontaneous abortion: Abortion occurring naturally, without having been induced. squeeze technique: A method for reducing the tendency for premature ejaculation; technique consists of squeezing the penis at the base of the glans. statistical analysis: Analysis of the results of an experiment to determine the likelihood of differences between experimental and control groups being truly valid. statutory rape: See unlawful intercourse. stereotype: An oversimplified, standardized mental image of a group of people. sterilization: The surgical interruption of the reproductive tracts of either the male or female, preventing the discharge of sex cells, and, thus, fertilization. stillbirth: Death of a fetus after 20 or more weeks of development. straight: Heterosexual. streetwalker: A prostitute whose primary method of soliciting clients is by walking the streets. stroke: A vascular accident in the brain. subliminal: Below the threshold of sensation, or normal consciousness. subliminal advertising: Advertising in which subliminal words or graphics are included in the message. suction curettage: See vacuum aspiration. surrogate mother: A woman who is fertilized by the male partner of an infertile couple, carries the child until birth, and then gives the child to the infertile couple. sympto-thermal method: A rhythm method that combines the techniques of observing basal body temperature and cervical mucus to determine when a woman ovulates. syphilis: Systemic infection by the spirochete Treponema pallidum. |