The study of cultural or biological variations across the human race.
bisexual
Sexually attracted to persons of both sexes.
clinical psychologist
Clinician (usually not a medical doctor) who assesses or treats mental or behavioral problems.
cultural psychologist
Researcher who studies the interactions between culture and mental processes or behaviors.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
A compilation of diagnostic criteria for mental disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association and updated periodically.
endocrinologist
Researcher who studies hormones or chemical messengers.
endocrinology
The study of glands and hormones.
erectile dysfunction
A persistent inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient to accomplish a desired sexual behavior such as coitus to orgasm. Earlier known as impotence.
ethnography
The study of a cultural group, often by means of extended individual fieldwork.
evolutionary psychologist
Researcher who studies the influence of evolution on mental processes or behavior.
fellatio
Sexual contact between the mouth of one person and the penis of another.
feminism
The movement to secure equality for women; the study of social and psychological issues from women’s perspectives.
gender identity
A person’s subjective sense of being male or female.
gender
The collection of psychological traits that differ between males and females.
General Social Survey (GSS)
A long-running periodic survey of the U.S. population run by the National Opinion Research Center.
geneticist
Researcher who studies the mechanisms of inheritance.
health psychologist
Person who assesses or treats mental or behavioral difficulties that arise out of physical disease.
heterosexual
Sexually attracted to persons of the opposite sex.
homosexual
Sexually attracted to persons of one’s own sex.
identity
The sense of self, self-labeling, or group affiliation.
intersexed
Having a biological sex that is ambiguous or intermediate between male and female.
marriage and family counselor
Therapist who assesses or treats interpersonal problems arising between spouses or other intimate partners.
microbiologist
Researcher who studies microscopic organisms, especially those that cause disease.
National Health and Social Life Survey (NHSLS)
A national survey of sexual behavior, relationships, and attitudes in the United States, conducted in the early 1990s.
National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (NSSAL)
A British survey of sexual behavior, relationships, and attitudes conducted in the early 1990s.
neuropharmacology
The study of drugs that affect the brain.
neuroscientist
Researcher who studies the nervous system.
neuroses
Mental disorders such as depression that, in Freudian theory, are coping strategies against repressed sexual conflicts.
neurotransmitter
A compound released at a synapse that increases or decreases the excitability of an adjacent neuron.
pathologist
Doctor or researcher who studies the diseased body.
perversion
An obsolete term for atypical sexual desire or behavior, viewed as a mental disorder.
psychobiologist
Psychologist who is interested in the biological bases of mental processes and behavior.
psychology
The study of mental processes and behavior.
reproductive physiologist
Researcher who studies fertility and pregnancy.
script theory
The analysis of sexual and other behaviors as the enactment of socially instilled roles.
sex
1. The category of male or female. 2. Sexual feelings and behavior.
sex hormones
Chemical messengers that influence sexual and reproductive processes.
sex research
The scientific study of sex.
sex therapist
A person who treats sexual dysfunctions, usually by recommending behavioral changes and sexual exercises.
sexology
The scientific study of sex, especially of sexual dysfunctions.
sexual orientation
The direction of an individual’s sexual feelings: sexual attraction toward persons of the opposite sex (heterosexual), the same sex (homosexual), or both sexes (bisexual).
sexuality
The feelings, behaviors, and identities associated with sex.
social psychology
The study of our relationship to others.
socialization
The effect of social influences such as family, education, peer groups, and the media on the development of psychological or behavioral traits.
sociology
The scientific study of society.
transexual
A person who identifies with the other sex and who seeks to transition to the other sex by means of hormone treatment and sex reassignment surgery. Transexuals can be male-to-female (M-to-F) or female-to-male (F-to-M).
