Differentiating Embarrassment and Shame

Abstract

Subjects sorted 56 descriptive statements into «shame» or «embarrassment» categories based on their own past experiences. Men and women agreed that shame was a more intense, enduring emotion than embarrassment, involving different responses and consequences. Whereas embarrassment resulted from surprising, relatively trivial accidents, shame occurred when foreseeable events revealed one's deep-seated flaws both to oneself and to others. Embarrassments engendered humor, smiles, and jokes, but shameful behavior caused disgust, anger, and apologies. The results argue that long-standing beliefs about the near equivalence of embarrassment and shame are unfounded