User:Omphaloscope/embarrassment

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Embarrassment is an emotion felt when one believes that others think ill of him or her, such as when commits a socially unacceptable act, say, falling off a bicycle during a parade, or when a fact about oneself is made public, for example, that one is inadequate for one's profession.

It is similar to shame, except that shame may be experienced even when the shameful or embarrassing act is known only to oneself. (Some non-Western perspectives may differ from this view.) Embarrassment and shame also differ in degree. A murderer may feel shame about her crime, whereas embarrassment would be too soft a word.

Causes

Personal embarrassment

Embarrassment can be personal, caused by unwanted attention to private matters or personal flaws or mishaps. Some causes of embarrassment stem from personal actions, such as being caught in a lie or in making a mistake, losing badly in a competition, being caught performing bodily functions such as

Personal embarrassment could also stem from the actions of others which place the embarrassed person in a socially awkward situation, such as having ones awkward baby pictures shown to friends, having someone make a derogatory comment about ones appearance or behavior, discovering one is the victim of gossip, being rejected by another person (see also humiliation), being made the focus of attention (e.g. birthday celebrants, newlyweds), or even witnessing someone else's embarrassment.

Personal embarrassment is usually accompanied by some combination of

Embarrassment can also be professional or official, especially after statements expressing confidence in a stated course of action, or willful disregard for evidence. Embarrassment increases greatly in instances involving official duties or workplace facilities, large amounts of money or materials, or loss of human life. Examples of causes of include a government's failed public policy, exposure of corrupt practices or unethical behavior, a celebrity whose personal habits receive public scrutiny or face legal action, or officials caught in serious personally embarrassing situations. Even small errors or miscalculations can lead to significantly greater official embarrassment if it is discovered that there was willful disregard for evidence or directives involved (see Space Shuttle Challenger).

Not all official failures result in official embarrassment, even if the circumstances lead to some slight personal embarrassment for the people involved. For example, losing a close political election might cause some personal embarrasssment for the candidate but generally would be considered an honorable loss in the profession and thus not necessarily lead to professional embarrassment. Similarly, a scientist might be personally disappointed and embarrassed if one of his hypotheses was proven wrong, but would not normally suffer professional embarrassment as a result. By contrast, exposure of falsified data supporting a scientific claim (see

Professional or official embarrassment is often accompanied by public expressions of anger, denial of involvement, or attempts to minimize the consequences. Sometimes the embarrassed entity will issue press statements, remove or distance themselves from sub-level employees, attempt to carry on as if nothing happened, suffer income loss, emigrate, or completely vanish from public view.

Etymology

The English word embarrassed has taken an unusual path into English. The first written usage of embarrass in English was in 1664 by

Some say the Spanish word actually came from the Italian imbarazzare, from imbarazzo, "obstacle" or "obstruction." That word came from imbarrare, "to block," or "bar," which is a combination of in-, "in" with barra, "bar" (from the Vulgar Latin barra, which is of unknown origin).⁶ The problem with this theory is that the first known usage of the word in Italian was by Bernardo Davanzati (1529-1606), long after the word had entered Spanish.⁷

See also

• Blushing
• modesty
• humiliation
• shame
• guilt
• lose face
  (often found in Asian cultures)

External link

• Bibliography of Embarrassment Research
• Collection of Funny Embarrassing Stories

References

1. "embarrass," The Oxford English Dictionary, (1989) <http://dictionary.oed.com> [Accessed February 15, 2006].
2. Joan Corominas and José Pacual, "embarazar," Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, (Gredos, 1980) Vol. II, p. 555-556.
3. "embarrass," Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged (2002) <http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com> [Accessed February 15, 2006].
4. Corominas, "embarazar."
5. "Iberian," Encyclopaedia Britannica, <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9041884> [Accessed February 15, 2006].
6. Corominas, "embarazar."
7. "embarrass," The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, (2000) <http://www.bartleby.com/61/12/E0101200.html> [Accessed February 15, 2006].