The DOI matches its Crossref record; 2 of the 2 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Are shame, guilt, and embarrassment distinct emotions?
Abstract
182 undergraduates described personal embarrassment, shame, and guilt experiences and rated these experiences on structural and phenomenological dimensions. Contrary to popular belief, shame was no more likely than guilt to be experienced in "public" situations; all 3 emotions typically occurred in social contexts, but a significant proportion of shame and guilt events occurred when respondents were alone. Analyses of participants' phenomenological ratings clearly demonstrated that shame, guilt, and embarrassment are not merely different terms for the same affective experience. In particular, embarrassment was a relatively distant neighbor of shame and guilt, and the differences among the 3 could not be explained simply by intensity of affect or by degree of moral transgression. Finally, participants generally were their own harshest critics in each type of event, evaluating themselves more negatively than they believed others did.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“Shame is closely related to guilt, but can be differentiated from it. In guilt, focus is typically on the person who was transgressed or the relationship that was affected, rather than the self (Tangney et al., 1996). Guilt pushes us out into the world, in an attempt to activate efforts to repair the damage by either reparative action or punishment (Tangney et al., 1996). In contrast, shame”
From Is Shame Hallucinogenic? (2017) · cites this paper as Tangney et al., 1996
In the citing paper
“It is therefore unsurprising that shame is associated with a desire to hide (Tangney et al., 1996).”
From Is Shame Hallucinogenic? (2017) · cites this paper as Tangney et al., 1996
Citations
Cites
The publisher hasn’t deposited this paper’s reference list.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 401–500 of 1,002
A qualitative analysis of psychological distress in hidradenitis suppurativa
Keary, E., Hevey, D., & Tobin, A. (2019) · British Journal of Dermatology · doi:10.1111/bjd.18135 · Cited by 48
Olthof, T., Ferguson, T. J., Bloemers, E., & Deij, M. (2004) · Cognition & Emotion · doi:10.1080/02699930341000077 · Cited by 44
Using Functional Theory to Promote Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Testing
Hullett, C. R. (2004) · Communication Research · doi:10.1177/0093650204266103 · Cited by 44
Constructive and destructive aspects of shame and guilt.
Tangney, J. P. (2004) · American Psychological Association eBooks · doi:10.1037/10433-006 · Cited by 44
Self-citationHow Incentive Framing Can Harness the Power of Social Norms
Lieberman, A., Duke, K. E., & Amir, O. (2018) · Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes · doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2018.12.001 · Cited by 46
Wetting the bed at twenty‐one: Embarrassment as a private emotion
Krishna, A., Herd, K. B., & Aydınoğlu, N. Z. (2015) · Journal of Consumer Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jcps.2015.02.005 · Cited by 43
Me against we: In-group transgression, collective shame, and in-group-directed hostility
Piff, P., Martinez, A. G., & Keltner, D. (2012) · Cognition & Emotion · doi:10.1080/02699931.2011.595394 · Cited by 44
Bernstein, A., & Brantz, H. (2012) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1007/s10608-012-9471-6 · Cited by 47
Gibson, M. (2014) · Journal of Social Work Practice · doi:10.1080/02650533.2014.913237 · Cited by 54
Orbell, S., Hagger, M. S., Brown, V., & TIDY, J. A. (2004) · British Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1348/1359107042304560 · Cited by 43
Transgressors’ guilt and shame
Riek, B. M., Luna, L. M. R., & Schnabelrauch, C. A. (2013) · Journal of Social and Personal Relationships · doi:10.1177/0265407513503595 · Cited by 57
Tracing the Self-Regulatory Bases of Moral Emotions
Sheikh, S., & Janoff‐Bulman, R. (2010) · Emotion Review · doi:10.1177/1754073910374660 · Cited by 47
Dispositional self-forgiveness, guilt- and shame-proneness, and the roles of motivational tendencies
Carpenter, T. P., Tignor, S. M., Tsang, J.-A. C., & Willett, A. (2016) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2016.04.017 · Cited by 45
Pila, E., Sabiston, C. M., Mack, D. E., Wilson, P. M., Brunet, J., Kowalski, K. C., & Crocker, P. R. E. (2019) · Psychology of sport and exercise · doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2019.101641 · Cited by 43
The impact of self-compassion on shame-proneness in social anxiety
Cȃndea, D.-M., & Szentágotai-Tătar, A. (2018) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-018-0924-1 · Cited by 42
Shame and guilt in the postnatal period: A systematic review
Caldwell, J., Meredith, P., Whittingham, K., & Ziviani, J. (2021) · Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology · doi:10.1080/02646838.2020.1754372 · Cited by 42
Body-related self-conscious emotions and reasons for exercise: A latent class analysis
Huellemann, K. L., Pila, E., Gilchrist, J. D., Nesbitt, A. E., & Sabiston, C. M. (2021) · Body Image · doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2021.03.016 · Cited by 47
Spending and Happiness: The Role of Perceived Financial Constraints
Dias, R. S., Sharma, E., & Fitzsimons, G. J. (2021) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1093/jcr/ucab075 · Cited by 49
Newman, K. P., & Trump, R. K. (2017) · Psychology and Marketing · doi:10.1002/mar.21008 · Cited by 49
Shame: The Emotional Basis of Library Anxiety
McAfee, E. (2018) · College & Research Libraries · doi:10.5860/crl.79.2.237 · Cited by 42
Meadows, A., & Higgs, S. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00808 · Cited by 40
Evidence for Positive Mood Buffering Among College Student Drinkers
Mohr, C. D., Brannan, D., Mohr, J., Armeli, S., & Tennen, H. A. (2008) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167208319385 · Cited by 42
McCarthy-Jones, S. (2017) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01310 · Cited by 40
An integrative model of weight stigma, body image, and physical activity in adolescents
Lucibello, K. M., Sabiston, C. M., Pila, E., & Arbour‐Nicitopoulos, K. P. (2023) · Body Image · doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.01.003 · Cited by 43
Bynum, W. E., & Artino, A. R. (2017) · Academic Medicine · doi:10.1097/acm.0000000000001970 · Cited by 43
Moral Emotions in Family Businesses: Exploring Vicarious Guilt of the Next Generation
Bernhard, F., & Labaki, R. (2020) · Family Business Review · doi:10.1177/0894486520941944 · Cited by 49
Feather, N. T., & McKee, I. (2008) · Cognition & Emotion · doi:10.1080/02699930802243378 · Cited by 40
Ethical Leadership and Workplace Deviance: The Role of Moral Disengagement
Liu, Y., Lam, L. W. “., & Loi, R. (2012) · Advances in global leadership · doi:10.1108/s1535-1203(2012)0000007006 · Cited by 45
The evolution of shame and guilt
Shen, L. (2018) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0199448 · Cited by 48
The Effect of Incidental Emotions on Judgments and Behavior in Unrelated Situations: A Review
Wyer, R. S., Dong, P., Huang, X., Huang, Z., & Wan, L. C. (2019) · Journal of the Association for Consumer Research · doi:10.1086/701889 · Cited by 40
Shame in Parkinson’S Disease: A Review
Angulo, J., Fleury, V., Péron, J., Penzenstadler, L. E., ZULLINO, D. F., & Krack, P. (2019) · Journal of Parkinson s Disease · doi:10.3233/jpd-181462 · Cited by 41
Bell, E., Christensen, J., & Hansen, K. J. (2022) · The American Review of Public Administration · doi:10.1177/02750740221128554 · Cited by 41
The Role of Shame in Women's Recovery from Alcoholism
Wiechelt, S. A., & Sales, E. (2001) · Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions · doi:10.1300/j160v01n04_07 · Cited by 41
How unique is Chinese emotion?
Yik, M. (2012) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199541850.013.0015 · Cited by 40
Does Rumination Mediate the Unique Effects of Shame and Guilt on Procrastination?
Oflazian, J. S., & Borders, A. (2022) · Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1007/s10942-022-00466-y · Cited by 44
The Parents’ Self-Stigma Scale: Development, Factor Analysis, Reliability, and Validity
Eaton, K., Ohan, J. L., Stritzke, W. G. K., & Corrigan, P. W. (2018) · Child Psychiatry & Human Development · doi:10.1007/s10578-018-0822-8 · Cited by 39
Norms and the Flexibility of Moral Action
FeldmanHall, O., Son, J.-Y., & Heffner, J. (2018) · Personality Neuroscience · doi:10.1017/pen.2018.13 · Cited by 39
‘We've all got a big story’: Experiences of a Trauma‐Informed Intervention in Prison
Petrillo, M. (2021) · The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice · doi:10.1111/hojo.12408 · Cited by 40
The Effects of Self‐Regulatory Strength, Content, and Strategies on Close Relationships
Luchies, L. B., Finkel, E. J., & Fitzsimons, G. M. (2010) · Journal of Personality · doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2010.00701.x · Cited by 42
The longitudinal links between shame and increasing hostility during adolescence
Heaven, P. C. L., Ciarrochi, J., & Leeson, P. (2009) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2009.07.002 · Cited by 39
The exemplary social emotion guilt: Not so relationship-oriented when another person repairs for you
de Hooge, I. E. (2012) · Cognition & Emotion · doi:10.1080/02699931.2011.640663 · Cited by 40
The Social Neuroscience of Interpersonal Emotions
Müller‐Pinzler, L., Krach, S., Krämer, U. M., & Paulus, F. M. (2016) · Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · doi:10.1007/7854_2016_437 · Cited by 40
Wells, G. B., & Hansen, N. D. (2003) · Journal of Homosexuality · doi:10.1300/j082v45n01_05 · Cited by 39
O’Kearney, R., Salmon, K., Liwag, M. E., Fortune, C., & Dawel, A. (2016) · Child Psychiatry & Human Development · doi:10.1007/s10578-016-0645-4 · Cited by 39
Parental Emotional Response to Children’s Traumas
Holt, T., Cohen, J. A., Mannarino, A., & Jensen, T. K. (2014) · Journal of Aggression Maltreatment & Trauma · doi:10.1080/10926771.2014.953717 · Cited by 38
Regulatory adaptations for delivering information: the case of confession
Sznycer, D., Schniter, E., Tooby, J., & Cosmides, L. (2014) · Evolution and Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2014.08.008 · Cited by 37
Early distinction between shame and guilt processing in an interpersonal context
Zhu, R., Wu, H., Xu, Z., Tang, H., Shen, X., Mai, X., & Liu, C. (2017) · Social Neuroscience · doi:10.1080/17470919.2017.1391119 · Cited by 38
Some issues in the ethics of food waste
Roe, B. E., Qi, D., & Bender, K. E. (2020) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.112860 · Cited by 39
Wood Vanessa, R., & Laycraft, K. (2020) · Annals of Cognitive Science · doi:10.36959/447/348 · Cited by 38
Carlson, R. W., Adkins, C., Crockett, M. J., & Clark, M. S. (2022) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/17456916211045692 · Cited by 45
Identifying psychological features of robots that encourage and discourage trust
Plaks, J. E., Rodriguez, L. B., & Ayad, R. (2022) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2022.107301 · Cited by 38
Psychological Differences in Shame vs. Guilt: Implications for Mental Health Counselors
Parker, S., & Thomas, R. L. (2009) · Journal of Mental Health Counseling · doi:10.17744/mehc.31.3.f405217281988832 · Cited by 37
Blushing May Signify Guilt: Revealing Effects of Blushing in Ambiguous Social Situations
de Jong, P. J., Peters, M. L., & Cremer, D. D. (2003) · Motivation and Emotion · doi:10.1023/a:1025059631708 · Cited by 38
Expression and the Course of Life
Keltner, D. J. (2003) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1196/annals.1280.011 · Cited by 38
Patock-Peckham, J. A., Canning, J. R., & Leeman, R. F. (2018) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2017.09.023 · Cited by 43
Haslam, D., Filus, A., & Finch, J. (2020) · Journal of Child and Family Studies · doi:10.1007/s10826-019-01565-8 · Cited by 40
Eating Disorder Symptoms and Suicidal Ideation: The Moderating Role of Disgust
Chu, C., Bodell, L. P., Ribeiro, J. D., & Joiner, T. E. (2015) · European Eating Disorders Review · doi:10.1002/erv.2373 · Cited by 37
Self‐evaluative emotions and expectations about self‐evaluative emotions in health‐behaviour change
Dijkstra, A., & Buunk, A. P. (2007) · British Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1348/014466607x216133 · Cited by 37
Roush, J. F., Brown, S. L., Mitchell, S. M., & Cukrowicz, K. C. (2016) · Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior · doi:10.1111/sltb.12267 · Cited by 48
Shame, Vulnerability and Belonging: Reconsidering Sartre’s Account of Shame
Dolezal, L. (2017) · Human Studies · doi:10.1007/s10746-017-9427-7 · Cited by 37
Common knowledge, coordination, and the logic of self-conscious emotions
Thomas, K. A., DeScioli, P., & Pinker, S. A. (2017) · Evolution and Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2017.12.001 · Cited by 37
Guilt Dynamics: Consequences of Temporally Separating Decisions and Actions
Duke, K. E., & Amir, O. (2018) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1093/jcr/ucy049 · Cited by 37
Deng, H., Lam, C. K., Guan, Y., & Wang, M. (2020) · Personnel Psychology · doi:10.1111/peps.12430 · Cited by 39
Siwik, C. J., Phillips, K. M., Zimmaro, L. A., Salmon, P. M., & Sephton, S. E. (2021) · Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1177/1359105320988331 · Cited by 39
The centrality of social image in social psychology
Mosquera, P. M. R., Üskül, A. K., & Cross, S. E. (2011) · European Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/ejsp.820 · Cited by 37
Piretti, L., Pappaianni, E., Garbin, C., Rumiati, R. I., Job, R., & Grecucci, A. (2023) · Brain Sciences · doi:10.3390/brainsci13040559 · Cited by 44
Social emotions and psychological games
Chang, L. J., & Smith, A. (2015) · Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2015.09.010 · Cited by 35
Kilian, T., Steinmann, S., & Hammes, E. K. (2017) · Psychology and Marketing · doi:10.1002/mar.21072 · Cited by 41
Stuck between the modern and the terrestrial: the indignation of the youth for climate movement
Knops, L. (2021) · Political Research Exchange · doi:10.1080/2474736x.2020.1868946 · Cited by 41
Defensive over Climate Change? Climate Shame as a Method of Moral Cultivation
Aaltola, E. (2021) · Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10806-021-09844-5 · Cited by 36
Schwartz, G., Halperin, E., & Levi‐Belz, Y. (2021) · Journal of Interpersonal Violence · doi:10.1177/08862605211007932 · Cited by 41
The effects of induced emotions on environmental preferences and behavior: An experimental study
Ibanez, L., & Roussel, S. (2021) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0258045 · Cited by 36
Gender, Internal Controls, and Academic Dishonesty: Investigating Mediating and Differential Effects
Gibson, C. L., Khey, D. N., & Schreck, C. J. (2008) · Journal of Criminal Justice Education · doi:10.1080/10511250801892714 · Cited by 36
Social Worker Shame: A Scoping Review: Table 1
Gibson, M. (2014) · The British Journal of Social Work · doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcu140 · Cited by 36
Emotional distress and pain tolerance in obsessive-compulsive disorder
Hezel, D. M., Riemann, B. C., & McNally, R. J. (2012) · Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2012.03.005 · Cited by 35
Tscharaktschiew, N. (2015) · European Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/ejsp.2135 · Cited by 36
Dost‐Gözkan, A., & Yağmurlu, B. (2008) · Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour · doi:10.1111/j.1468-5914.2008.00362.x · Cited by 34
On the Psychology of the Advantaged: How People React to Being Overpaid
Peters, S. L., van den Bos, K., & Karremans, J. C. (2008) · Social Justice Research · doi:10.1007/s11211-008-0063-2 · Cited by 36
McConnell, J. R. (2015) · Basic and Applied Social Psychology · doi:10.1080/01973533.2015.1016160 · Cited by 37
How guilt affects consumption intention: the role of rumination, emotional support and shame
Saintives, C., & Lunardo, R. (2016) · Journal of Consumer Marketing · doi:10.1108/jcm-12-2014-1265 · Cited by 31
Cognitive Distortions in Sexual Offenders: Should They All Be Treatment Targets?
Marshall, W. L., Marshall, L. E., & Ware, J. (2009) · Cited by 34
Psychopathology among adult survivors of child pornography
Gewirtz‐Meydan, A., Lahav, Y., Walsh, W. A., & David Finkelhor, B. (2019) · Child Abuse & Neglect · doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104189 · Cited by 34
Shame-proneness and achievement behaviour
Thompson, T., Altmann, R., & Davidson, J. (2003) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/s0191-8869(03)00121-1 · Cited by 34
Performance and flow: A review and integration of self-objectification research.
Quinn, D. M., Chaudoir, S. R., & Kallen, R. W. (2010) · American Psychological Association eBooks · doi:10.1037/12304-006 · Cited by 39
Is Shame an Ugly Emotion? Four Discourses—Two Contrasting Interpretations for Moral Education
Kristjansson, K. R. (2014) · Studies in Philosophy and Education · doi:10.1007/s11217-013-9399-7 · Cited by 34
Lee, K. M., Lindquist, K. A., & Payne, B. K. (2017) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/emo0000347 · Cited by 38
Miller, C. L., & Strachan, S. M. (2020) · Women & Health · doi:10.1080/03630242.2020.1713966 · Cited by 36
Bazaraa, D. A., Mahrous, A. A., & Elsharnouby, M. H. (2022) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132306 · Cited by 33
Sex offenders and confessions: How to overcome their resistance during questioning
Gudjonsson, G. H. (2006) · Journal of Clinical Forensic Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.jcfm.2006.02.003 · Cited by 33
Chang, L. (2009) · Journal of Sustainable Tourism · doi:10.1080/09669580903215154 · Cited by 33
Barrett-Cheetham, E., Williams, L. A., & Bednall, T. C. (2016) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760.2016.1152502 · Cited by 38
Emotional Responses to Interpersonal Rejection
Leary, M. R., Koch, E. J., & Hechenbleikner, N. R. (2006) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195130157.003.0006 · Cited by 38
Blushing after a moral transgression in a prisoner's dilemma game: appeasing or revealing?
de Jong, P. J., Peters, M. L., Cremer, D. D., & Vranken, C. (2002) · European Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/ejsp.111 · Cited by 32
de Mamani, A. W., & Suro, G. (2015) · Psychotherapy · doi:10.1037/pst0000038 · Cited by 32
Sassover, E., Abrahamovitch, Z., Amsel, Y., Halle, D., Mishan, Y., Efrati, Y., & Weinstein, A. M. (2021) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-021-02188-3 · Cited by 32
Corporate ambidexterity: Uncovering the antecedents of enduring sustainable performance
Yu, J. H., & Zhu, L. (2022) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132740 · Cited by 37
The 16-Year Course of Shame and Its Risk Factors in Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder
Karan, E., Niesten, I. J. M., Frankenburg, F., Fitzmaurice, G., & Zanarini, M. (2014) · Personality and Mental Health · doi:10.1002/pmh.1258 · Cited by 23
Asymmetries between victims' and transgressors' perspectives following interpersonal transgressions
Adams, G. S. (2016) · Social and Personality Psychology Compass · doi:10.1111/spc3.12291 · Cited by 34
Wasserman, S., de Mamani, A. W., & Suro, G. (2012) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2011.08.009 · Cited by 32
Pila, E., Gilchrist, J. D., Kowalski, K. C., & Sabiston, C. M. (2021) · Psychology of sport and exercise · doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.102083 · Cited by 31
Metadata
- Authors
- Tangney, J. P., Miller, R. S., Flicker, L., & Barlow, D. H.
- Affiliations
- George Mason University (US)
- ORCID
- Tangney, June Price
- Venue
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
- Published
- 1996
- Volume
- 70
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1256-1269
- ISSN
- 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1315
- OpenAlex
- W4241650702
- Cited by
- 1,556
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 83 · 2025: 82 · 2024: 77 · 2023: 77 · 2022: 87 · 2021: 87 · 2020: 101 · 2019: 74 · 2018: 74 · 2017: 88 · 2016: 60 · 2015: 77 · 2014: 80 · 2013: 71 · 2012: 59
- FWCI
- 13.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Forgiveness and Related Behaviors
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
- Keywords
- shame, guilt, embarrassment, emotion taxonomy
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Emotions, Female, Guilt, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Shame, Social Behavior, Social Environment
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review