ah ha! it's a social science term. that explains why i've never heard of it. i always get social science confused with pseudo science (or confused with studio gainax)! silly me.

funny, m-w.com had no definition for it, but wikipedia was all over that shiznit.
thanks for educating me, scruffy, and for the entertaining thread! couching the definition in terms i can readily relate to, ie oiled-up ladies wresting, really brought that home for me. it resonates deep, deep inside. deep inside. like, in a fajita.