G-O | exploresmf

G

Gender - “The behavioural, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex”. (Rathus, Nevid, Fichner-Rathus, & McKay, 2016, p. 4). “Many researchers reserve the word “sex” for anatomical or biological categories, preferring the word “gender” to refer to social or cultural categories” (Rathus, Nevid, Fichner-Rathus, & McKay, 2016, p. 4).

H

Hegemony (Hegemonic Practices) - “The dominance of one group over another, often supported by legitimating norms and ideas. The term hegemony is today often used as shorthand to describe the relatively dominant position of a particular set of ideas and their associated tendency to become commonsensical and intuitive, thereby inhibiting the dissemination or even the articulation of alternative ideas” (Rosamond, 2016, para. 1).

Heteronormativity - “The suite of cultural, legal, and institutional practices that maintain normative assumptions that there are two and only two genders [man and woman], that gender reflects biological sex, and that only sexual attraction between these ‘opposite’ genders is natural or acceptable” (Kitzinger, 2005, p. 441, as cited in Schilt & Westbrook, 2009, p. 441). “Heterosexuality plays a central role in maintaining the gender hierarchy that subordinates women to men” (Cameron & Kulick 2003, p. 45, as cited in Schilt & Westbrook, 2009, p. 441).

Heterosexism - “Discrimination or prejudice against homosexuals on the assumption that heterosexuality is the normal sexual orientation” (Oxford English Dictionary, n.d.).

HIV - Stands for human immunodeficiency virus. HIV is “the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV attacks and disables the immune system, the body’s natural line of defence, stripping it of its ability to fend off disease-causing organisms” (Rathus, Nevid, Fichner-Rathus, McKay, 2016, p. 364). “HIV can be transmitted by certain bodily fluids - blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk” (Rathus, Nevid, Fichner-Rathus, McKay, 2016, p. 367). “HIV follows a complex course once it enters the body. Shortly after infection, the person may experience mild, flu-like symptoms - fatigue, fever, headaches, muscle pain, lack of appetite, nausea, swollen glands, and possibly a rash” (Rathus, Nevid, Fichner-Rathus, McKay, 2016, p. 366). Symptoms often disappear shortly after which leads people to believe it was just a flu and runs the risk of them passing the virus on to others (Rathus, Nevid, Fichner-Rathus, McKay, 2016).

HIV Superinfection - “When someone with HIV gets a second strain of HIV, which is likelier to occur during unprotected serosorting with others who are HIV positive. This will impact what medications are effective for them” (Smith, Richman & Little, 2005, p. 438).

Human Sexuality - “Refers to the ways we experience and express ourselves as sexual beings. Our awareness of ourselves as females or males is part of our sexuality, as is the capacity we have for erotic experiences and responses” (Rathus, Nevid, Fichner-Rathus, McKay, 2016, p. 4).

I

Identity - “Condition or character as to who a person or what a thing is; the qualities, beliefs, etc., that distinguish or identify a person or thing” (Dictionary.com, n.d.).

Infatuation/Infatuated Love - Robert Sternberg (1986) created the triangular theory of love whereby, “love can be understood in terms of three components that together can be viewed as forming the vertices of a triangle”(p. 119); these components include intimacy, passion and commitment. Infatuation/infatuated love is the result of combining two of these components and it is described as, “‘love at first sight.’ Infatuated love, or simply, infatuation, results from the experiencing of passionate arousal in the absence of the intimacy and decision/commitment components of love” (Sternberg, 1986, p. 124).

Interdependence - “The state of being dependent upon one another : mutual dependence” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.).

Interpersonal - “Being, relating to, or involving relations between persons” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, n.d.). An example of this would be the strong relationships one has with friends, family, colleagues, etc.

Intersectionality - “The complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups. [Kimberlé] Crenshaw introduced the theory of intersectionality, the idea that when it comes to thinking about how inequalities persist, categories like gender, race, and class are best understood as overlapping and mutually constitutive rather than isolated and distinct. — Adia Harvey Wingfield” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, n.d.).

Intimacy - Robert Sternberg (1986) created the triangular theory of love whereby, “love can be understood in terms of three components that together can be viewed as forming the vertices of a triangle”(p. 119); these components include intimacy, passion and commitment. Intimacy is described as, “feelings in a relationship that promote closeness, bondedness, and connectedness” (Sternberg, 1986, p. 119).

Intrapersonal - “Existing or occurring within the self or within one's mind: People with high intrapersonal intelligence are aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Intrapersonal conflict can lead to emotional stress” (Dictionary.com, n.d.).

J

Justice - “Just behaviour or treatment” and “The quality of being fair and reasonable (Lexico, n.d.).

L

LGBTQIAPP+ - “A collection of identities short for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, aromantic, pansexual, polysexual (sometimes abbreviated to LGBT or LGBTQ+). Sometimes this acronym is replaced with “queer.” Note that “ally” is not included in this acronym” (Trans Student Educational Resources [TSER], 2018, para. 36).

Liking - Robert Sternberg (1986) created the triangular theory of love whereby, “love can be understood in terms of three components that together can be viewed as forming the vertices of a triangle”(p. 119); these components include intimacy, passion and commitment. Liking is described as, “when one experiences only the intimacy component of love in the absence of passion and decision/commitment. The term liking is used here in a nontrivial sense, not merely to describe the feelings one has toward casual acquaintances and passers-by in one's life. Rather, it refers to the set of feelings one experiences in relationships that can truly be characterized as friendships” (Sternberg, 1986, p. 123).

Lust - “Intense sexual desire or appetite” (Dictionary.com, n.d.).

M

Male Gaze - “The sexual politics of the gaze and suggests a sexualised way of looking that empowers men and objectifies women. In the male gaze, woman is visually positioned as an “object” of heterosexual male desire. Her feelings, thoughts and her own sexual drives are less important than her being “framed” by male desire” (Loreck, 2016, para. 3).

Marriage - According to the Government of Canada’s Civil Marriage Act, “marriage, for civil purposes, is the lawful union of two persons to the exclusion of all others” (Justice Laws Website, Government of Canada, 2020). Marriages must be entered into consensually, by persons who are over 16 years of age for whom any previous marriages have been legally terminated (Justice Laws Website, Government of Canada, 2020).

Medicalization - “Describes a process by which non -medical problems become defined and treated as medical problems, usually in terms of illnesses or disorders” (Conrad, 1992, p. 209). SMF expansion: many of our courses discuss the ways that different aspects of identity have previously been medicalized - LGBTQ identities, menstruation, women’s stress responses to an oppressive world, and much more. Medicalization is part of the way ‘norms’ are created in opposition to ‘abnormal’, creating and sustaining hierarchies of power that can then be used to persecute vulnerable populations instead of addressing the structures that inform and marginalize those identities/aspects of existence.

Menstruation - “The bleeding that results from the shedding of the uterine lining (endometrium) when a reproductive cycle has not led to fertilization of an ovum. The human menstrual cycle averages 28 days in length” (Rathus, Nevid, Fichner-Rathus, & McKay, 2016, p. 71).

Mental Health - “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including: biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry; life experiences, such as trauma or abuse; family history of mental health problems” (MentalHealth.gov, 2017, para. 1).

Monogamy - “The state or practice of having only one sexual partner at a time” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.).

Mononormativity - “Dominant assumptions of the normalcy and naturalness of monogamy, analogous to such assumptions around heterosexuality inherent in the term heteronormativity” (Barker & Langdridge 2010b, p. 750).

Mutuality - “Condition or quality of being mutual; reciprocity; mutual dependence” (Dictionary.com, n.d.).

N

Nonlove - Robert Sternberg (1986) created the triangular theory of love whereby, “love can be understood in terms of three components that together can be viewed as forming the vertices of a triangle”(p. 119); these components include intimacy, passion and commitment. Nonlove is described as, “the absence of all three components of love (commitment, passion and intimacy). Nonlove characterizes the large majority of our personal relationships, which are simply casual interactions that do not partake of love at all” (Sternberg, 1986, p. 123).

O

Open Relationship - A relationship where “an established couple has mutually agreed to share a non-monogamous lifestyle. This includes either or both parties having other sexual and/or romantic partners. This type of relationship is carried out with the consent and knowledge of all parties involved. Otherwise, it is considered infidelity” (Dictionary.com, n.d.).

Ovulation - “The process by which a mature ovarian follicle ruptures and releases an ovum” (Rathus, Nevid, Fichner-Rathus, & McKay, 2016, p. 71).