Shyness pp 295-311 | Cite as

Embarrassment

Causes and Consequences
  • Rowland S. Miller
Chapter
Part of the Emotions, Personality, and Psychotherapy book series (EPPS)

Abstract

Does there exist anyone who has never been embarrassed? Is there someone who has never felt the chagrin and abashment of the inadvertent social miscue? If so, such a person must be very uncommon; there may well be differences among us in our susceptibility to embarrassment, but the state seems so inextricably tied to our socialization and interaction that to be entirely immune to it would be rare indeed. This chapter will explore the nature and origins of this pervasive—and usually discomfiting—experience, cataloging the occasions in which it occurs, describing different rationales for its existence, reviewing the empirical literature, and generally speculating here and there. First, however, a descriptive analysis: What is it?

Keywords

Social Anxiety Nonverbal Behavior Aversive State Interaction Ritual Embarrassing Situation 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 1986

Authors and Affiliations

  • Rowland S. Miller
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of PsychologySam Houston State UniversityHuntsvilleUSA

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