Social Embarrassment: An Analysis of the Process

Abstract

In recent years the phenomenon of embarrassment has attracted an increasing research interest. As a result, there have been a number of attempts to conceptualize the underlying process. Although these tend to emphasize similar aspects of the phenomenon (social transgressions, negative public image, heightened self-attention), there are a number of gaps in our knowledge of the process involved. This paper reviews previous models of embarrassment and presents an adapted and extended account of the underlying process. The five central aspects are: knowledge of social rules, protective self-presentation, self-awareness, labelling, and dealing with embarrassment. These are described and discussed, and implications of the model for future research are considered.