Embarrassment: its distinct form and appeasement functions.
The authors address 2 questions about embarrassment. First, Is embarrassment a distinct emotion? The evidence indicates that the antecedents, experience, and display of embarrassment, and to a limited extent its autonomic physiology, are distinct from shame, guilt, and amusement and share the dynamic, temporal characteristics of emotion. Second, What are the theoretical accounts of embarrassment? Three accounts focus on the causes of embarrassment, positioning that it follows the loss of self-esteem, concern for others' evaluations, or absence of scripts to guide interactions. A fourth account focuses on the effects of the remedial actions of embarrassment, which correct preceding transgressions. A fifth account focuses on the functional parallels between embarrassment and nonhuman appeasement. The discussion focuses on unanswered questions about embarrassment.
Keltner
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Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley 94720-1650, USA. keltner@socrates.berkeley.edu
Buswell
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BN
D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D005149:Facial Expression; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D011603:Psychophysiology; D012649:Self Concept; D012752:Shame; D012919:Social Behavior