Related Directory Categories
Sources
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a site - Become an editor
Wikipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Are you an expert in this subject? Join the discussion and share your knowledge at Wikipedia.org.
Black sheep
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Black Sheep (disambiguation).
Black sheep is an English language idiom - usually derogatory - which describes an odd or disreputable member of a group, especially within one's family.[1] The term originated from the fact that the occasional black sheep will be born into a herd of white sheep due to genetic phenomenon of recessive traits; white sheep whiteness is not albinism but a dominant white caused by a gene that actively switches color production off. Black sheep were considered commercially undesirable because their wool cannot be dyed as white wool can.[1]
In psychology, a black sheep is the member of a rigidly triangulated family, who holds the rest tightly together by being identified as the bad/sick/deviant one who causes all the family problems. In this situation, the rule enforcer in the family is charged with the job of controlling the black sheep from revealing the family secrets. The black sheep is seen as an outsider, but only because he is a teller of truth.
The phrase "white sheep" can be used to refer to someone who is the outcast of a group of criminals, e.g., one who is law abiding.
- ^ a b American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
 |
This language-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |