Shyness and Embarrassment: Perspectives from Social Psychology

In this volume leading international researchers draw upon a variety of perspectives on the study of shyness and embarrassment, shame, blushing, and self-consciousness. The contributors conceive of shyness and embarrassment as widely shared everyday experiences in which the desired routine flow of social interaction is inhibited by self-consciousness and feelings of discomfort or foolishness. The dominant position within social psychology - that these are aspects of social anxiety - is both attacked and defended. The role of unwelcome self-referential thoughts in the experience of the social emotions is critically evaluated in terms of objective self-awareness, social anxiety, and impression management theories. A psychological account of these experiences is important for both theoretical and practical reasons: It advances the study of social interaction processes and contributes to the remediation of extreme shyness and social anxiety. This is the first book to treat shyness and social embarrassment together. Previous studies dealt with these experiences in isolation, even though they can be difficult to distinguish both in ordinary language and psychological theory. The central assumption of this book is that understanding the social emotions will only be possible if they are considered together, if they are located within their social context, and if conceptual and empirical inquiries are closely related. This engaging volume will appeal to all of those interested in psychology - particularly in personality theory, social and clinical psychology, and the study of the self - and to students and teachers of communication studies and related disciplines.