Embarrassmet is a very common emotion but usually hard to express, which plays a very important role in social encounter. There are many reasons why people feel embarrassed, like being criticized, making a fool of oneself, performaning inferior to self or other people¡¦s expectation, and so on. The social encounter attribute in service marketing not only is the basic condition for embarrassment but also fits the Social Impact Theory. However, most studies on embarrassment dedicated their attention to personal psychology and social encounter; few of them are about product buying behavior. Therefore this study would verify the impact of embarrassment in service encounter, test how the severity of embarrassing event and numbers of others on site influent consumers¡¦ emotional and behavioral reaction. Besides, researcher puts social comparison theory and consumer pre-consumption mood into the study to verify the impact of consumers¡¦ original mood and others¡¦ relevance to consumers¡¦ percepted embarrassment and behavioral reaction. The research material in Experiment 1 is a story about shopping in a clothe counter in department store. Reseracher finds out that the severity of embarrassing event (the criticism from counter sales representative) and numbers of others on site have different impact on perceived embarrassment. The negative emotion arised from embarrassment mediates their behavioral reaction; the stronger the negative emotion, the stronger ther leaving intention and negative word of mouth are. In Experiment 2, researcher verifies that consumers¡¦ pre-consumption mood and others¡¦ relevance moderate the impact of embarrassment to consumers¡¦emotional and behavioral reaction. The major contribution of this study is that we put ¡§embarrassment¡¨ as the leading role of this study and prove that one¡¦s mood and other customers on site have impact on service encounter. In the end of this article, researcher provides managerial implication, research restriction, and the future research directions.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 222-256).

This research introduces the unique context of immoral inaction—situations in which consumers have the opportunity to engage in virtuous behaviors but opt against doing so. Through five studies I demonstrate that in such contexts, embarrassment—a negatively valenced self-conscious moral emotion evoked by the perception that one's behavior is worthy of judgment by others—interacts with the use of approach-motivated coping strategies to lead consumers to engage in prosocial compensatory behaviors. Though extant literature suggests that marketers seeking to evoke prosocial behaviors should employ communications and promotions framed to elicit consumers' guilt, such studies are based in contexts whereby individuals feel guilty and/or embarrassed because of something they have done, not for something they did not do. This research suggests that that the condition of immoral inaction serves to evoke a contrasting psychological mechanism that reverses these findings, making embarrassment a more effective driver of desired outcomes when marketers seek to promote overcoming past inactions. These findings are discussed in light of their implications for research and application.

No description available.

The purpose of the present study was to increase our understanding of the relations among embarrassment, Theory of Mind (ToM), and emotion dysregulation in adolescents with Asperger's Syndrome and High Functioning Autism (AS/HFA), topics that have not previously been the foci of research in this population. The research sample consisted of 42 participants, split equally between adolescents with AS/HFA and typically developing (TD) adolescents. Participants with AS/HFA were matched with TD participants for chronological age and gender. Parents of all participants, typically mothers, were also required to complete measures. Participants were presented with vignettes of embarrassing or anger inducing scenarios, following which they were asked to provide ratings indicating the degree to which they would be embarrassed or angry in the protagonists' positions. Next they were asked to justify those ratings. Results indicated that the AS/HFA group experienced greater difficulty than the TD group with measures requiring ToM abilities. This was particularly true of embarrassment/social faux pas situations. In contrast, both groups performed similarly on measures involving anger-inducing situations that require less ToM. The significant difficulty of the AS/HFA group in understanding ToM in embarrassment measures was corroborated by their poor performance on an independent ToM measure. In addition to having significant difficulty in understanding embarrassment, the AS/HFA group was significantly less able than the TD group to recount personally embarrassing experiences. Regarding emotion regulation, participants with AS/HFA were significantly less able than their TD peers to regulate their emotions through reappraisal. Similarly, parents of the AS/HFA participants reported a significantly higher level of emotion dysregulation in their children than did the parents of the TD participants. Further, participants with AS/HFA had a significantly higher utilization frequency of negative strategies than their TD peers when embarrassed, which aligned with parent report. Negative strategies included internal, verbal, and physical self-injurious behaviors, as well as destructive interpersonal behaviors, e.g., falsely accusing, yelling at, or hitting others. These findings emphasize the critical and potentially harmful impact of embarrassing experiences in the daily lives of adolescents with AS/HFA.

Wong King Yin. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-83). / Abstracts in English and Chinese; questionnaires in Chinese. / Abstract (English) --- p.2 / Abstract (Chinese) --- p.3 / Dedication --- p.4 / Acknowledgements --- p.5 / Table of Contents --- p.6 / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.8 / Chapter 1.0 --- Overview --- p.8 / Chapter 1.1 --- Background --- p.8 / Chapter 1.2 --- Research Objectives --- p.11 / Chapter 1.3 --- Expected Contributions --- p.11 / Chapter 1.4 --- Organization of the Thesis --- p.12 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Literature Review & Research Model --- p.14 / Chapter 2.0 --- Overview --- p.14 / Chapter 2.1 --- Literature Review on Embarrassment --- p.14 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Embarrassment and Its Antecedent --- p.14 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Embarrassment and Its Subsequent Behavioral Tendency --- p.24 / Chapter 2.2 --- Conceptual Definitions --- p.35 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Consumer Embarrassment --- p.36 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Cross-selling --- p.37 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- Helping Behavior --- p.38 / Chapter 2.3 --- Hypothesis --- p.40 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Research Methodology --- p.44 / Chapter 3.0 --- Overview --- p.44 / Chapter 3.1 --- Research Design --- p.44 / Chapter 3.2 --- Pretest --- p.45 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Embarrassing Product --- p.46 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Scenario Development --- p.47 / Chapter 3.2.3 --- Questionnaire Development --- p.48 / Chapter 3.2.4 --- Experimental Setting --- p.51 / Chapter 3.3 --- Main Study --- p.52 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Participants --- p.52 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Materials --- p.52 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- Scenarios --- p.53 / Chapter 3.3.4 --- Manipulation Checks --- p.54 / Chapter 3.3.5 --- Dependent Measures --- p.56 / Chapter 3.3.6 --- Procedures --- p.56 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Results And Discussion --- p.58 / Chapter 4.0 --- Overview --- p.58 / Chapter 4.1 --- Reliability of Scales --- p.58 / Chapter 4.2 --- Manipulation Checks --- p.59 / Chapter 4.3 --- Hypotheses Testing --- p.60 / Chapter 4.4 --- Discussion --- p.62 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Conclusion --- p.64 / Chapter 5.0 --- Overview --- p.64 / Chapter 5.1 --- Contributions --- p.64 / Chapter 5.1.1 --- Theoretical Contribution --- p.64 / Chapter 5.1.2 --- Managerial Contribution --- p.66 / Chapter 5.2 --- Limitations --- p.67 / Chapter 5.3 --- Future Research Directions --- p.68 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- Embarrassing Product Typology --- p.68 / Chapter 5.3.2 --- Coping Strategies to Embarrassment and Fear of Embarrassment --- p.69 / Chapter 5.3.3 --- Coping Strategic Inclinations to Embarrassment --- p.70 / Chapter 5.4 --- Conclusion --- p.71 / Appendices --- p.73 / Appendix I - Booklet for Main Study --- p.73 / Appendix II - Booklet For Manipulation Checks --- p.76 / References --- p.79

Rosacea is a chronic skin disorder, characterized by redness and flushing of the cheeks, nose, chin or forehead. It has been proposed that rosacea is a result of frequent blushing (Miller, 1921; Klaber & Whittkower, 1939). However, the relationship between rosacea and blushing is uncertain. The aim of the present research was to investigate the relationship between psychological stress and vascular disturbances in rosacea. Five studies were conducted. The first study explored the relationship between rosacea and mental health while the next two investigated vascular responses in rosacea sufferers and controls to acetylcholine (which induces endothelial vasodilatation and axon reflexes) and psychological stress (embarrassment). The fourth study aimed to examine the relationship between psychological indicators and rosacea symptoms on a daily basis. The fifth study consisted of three case studies looking at the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Task Concentration Training (TCT) with rosacea sufferers presenting with social anxiety and fear of blushing symptoms. In study 1, sixty-two participants were asked to complete the Blushing Propensity Scale (BPS), Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS), Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) and Social Phobia Scale (SPS). Outcomes from the first study indicated that Type 2 rosacea sufferers (n= 12) perceived themselves as blushing more frequently and intensely than Type 1 rosacea sufferers (n=19) or controls (n=31). This suggested that Type 2 rosacea sufferers experiencing frequent blushing may have a lower sensitivity threshold to blushing episodes. In addition, Type 2 rosacea sufferers perceived themselves as more stressed than Type 1 rosacea sufferers or controls, possibly indicating that managing the condition can be stressful. Contrary to previous reports (Gupta et al., 2006; National Rosacea Society, 2005) severity of rosacea was not associated with depression, social anxiety or fear of negative evaluation. However, a few participants who reported high social anxiety and stress scores were offered psychological intervention (Study 5). The aim of the second study was to investigate vascular responses in rosacea sufferers. Cutaneous endothelial and axon reflex function was assessed using an acetylcholine dose response curve. The axon reflex was assessed by inducing a flare with ACh iontophoresis. Outcomes from this study indicated that Type 2 rosacea sufferers had a greater axon reflex response than Type 1 rosacea sufferers. Thus over-reactivity of the axon reflex in Type 2 rosacea sufferers might contribute to prolonged vasodilatation. However, cutaneous endothelial responses to ACh were similar in rosacea and control groups. The results suggested that neural pathways mediated the flushing response rather than cutaneous endothelial function. The third study investigated facial blood flow while participants attempted laboratory induced embarrassment tasks. Type 2 rosacea sufferers were found to have a greater blood flow in the facial region than Type 1 rosacea sufferers during singing and speech tasks, suggesting that Type 2 rosacea sufferers blushed more than type 1 rosacea sufferers or controls. Furthermore, Type 2 rosacea sufferers reported higher embarrassment and blushing ratings than Type 1 rosacea sufferers. This indicated that Type 2 rosacea sufferers perceived themselves as emotionally more aroused than other participants. Taken together, it would appear that a combination of physiological and cognitive factors increased facial blood flow in Type 2 rosacea sufferers in laboratory induced embarrassment tasks. The fourth study explored the relationship between stress and symptoms of rosacea. Using a diary, 15 rosacea sufferers recorded their stress, anxiety and mood and their intensity of rosacea symptoms daily. Stress was associated with increased stinging/facial redness on the same day for 1 to 2 months. Furthermore, it was associated with increased stinging ratings the next day. However, feeling anxious or having low mood was not related to increase stinging the next day. The presence of increased stress found in rosacea participants on the day where stinging and redness occurred should be taken into consideration when formulating psychological interventions for rosacea sufferers. In study 5, individual psychological intervention was provided to three participants experiencing stress, fear of blushing and social anxiety symptoms. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Task Concentration Training (TCT) were helpful in managing stress, anxiety and fear of blushing symptoms in individual rosacea sufferers. Encouragingly, all participants reported a gain in their repertoire of strategies and showed a decrease in anxiety symptoms on assessment questionnaires following their intervention. Replication of the intervention protocol and investigation of other psychological approaches are required to establish best practise outcome for rosacea sufferers who require psychological interventions. The present findings suggest that over-reactivity of axon reflexes contributes to facial flushing. In addition, emotional flushing in rosacea sufferers appears to be maintained by a combination of cognitive and physiological factors. On a clinical level, the study recommends that emotional stress associated with facial flushing in rosacea sufferers to be targeted for psychological intervention.

This thesis examines awkwardness between characters in Marcel Proust's A la recherche du temps perdu. It offers the first full-length study of awkwardness in literary fiction, and provides a new prism through which to analyse many major characters in Proust's novel, and, crucially, their interactions. While the word "awkwardness" poses translation challenges, the thesis identifies a rich lexicon of French terms used by Proust to denote various aspects of the phenomenon: through close analysis of passages containing these terms, a coherent vision of awkwardness and its importance in the novel emerges. Awkwardness occurs in very different types of relationship - family, social, friendship and love - because, Proust stresses, human interaction is rarely easy. This latter point is not a new argument, but by focusing directly on the feelings of awkwardness which arise, original insights can be made about the specific challenges of communication, cohesion and desire in the Recherche. The thesis explores the degrees of togetherness and separation Proust depicts, and compares well-known scenes and neglected moments to their mutual illumination. We find that awkwardness is essential to the novel's depiction of society in a state of rapid flux - the consequence of accelerated social change is escalated awkwardness - and that uncomfortable encounters with other people develop the protagonist's relation with his own mind.

AI-enabled virtual assistants (AIVAs) have become increasingly popular (e.g., Amazon Alexa, Google Home) and assist consumers with various tasks, including home automation, access to media, entertainment, and shopping. Essay 1 focuses on the outcomes of consumers' lost autonomy after information search using AIVAs versus an online search engine (e.g., Google). Drawing on research in advances in AI technology, I predict that interacting with AIVAs (versus online search engines) will lead to several consumer outcomes: decreased cognitive task performance, word of mouth (WOM) intentions, and the desire for an unrelated subsequent search. I find support for my predictions across five studies, using different tasks to assess performance (verbal and quantitative), after interactions with both real (Amazon Alexa) and fake (Halo) AIVA brands, across different respondent populations (CloudResearch, MTurk, Prolific), thereby enhancing confidence in my findings. In Essay 2, I consider a different consumer outcome - embarrassment, and also a different underlying process variable – social presence. I predict that when consumers engage in information search using an AIVA, they will subsequently experience greater embarrassment when asked about embarrassing products (e.g., condoms, medication for gas, etc.). The increased embarrassment occurs even when the information search is unrelated to the embarrassing products (e.g., searching for information on the local weather increases embarrassment related to anti-gas medication), suggesting that it is the process of interacting with the AIVA, rather than the content of such interaction which underlies this effect.

This thesis aims to investigate and present what the most recent research can disclose about moral emotions and their neural correlates. This literature review provides an overview of some frameworks and theories regarding moral emotions and their neural correlates, with a specific focus on positive and negative moral emotions such as compassion, pride, gratitude, guilt, shame, and embarrassment. The theoretical background of moral emotions within cognitive neuroscience has been introduced together with research of the emotional brain and morality to further clarify the main topic of this thesis, moral emotions and their neural correlates. Moral emotions are very crucial in understanding humans’ behavioural adherence to their moral standards. For example, shame is described as the way we relate and perceive ourselves. It is related to how we believe and think other people see us and our incompetence or failure to fulfil the desire to be a good person, e.g. “I think, feel and believe that I am a bad person for lying to someone”. These topics have been discoursed through this thesis showing significant results. There are many neural regions, e.g. medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) which get activated whilst experiencing distinct moral emotions. However, studies have shown that there is no one-to-one correspondence between a specific brain area and a specific emotion, instead, research has suggested there are particular topographical anatomical networks in the brain which get activated when experiencing different emotions. There are few studies in this field; their results should be taken with caution. The field continues to grow, and we can learn more about moral emotions and their neural correlates today and in the future.