skip navigation

Not in the United States?
change your preferences.

The Self-Conscious Emotions

Theory and Research

• Edited by Jessica L. Tracy, Richard W. Robins, June Price Tangney

Please order this title fromGuilford Press

We only distribute Guilford Press titles in the UK and Europe. We've detected that you are not based in this area. If this is incorrect, please change your country in your preferences.

If you are not in the UK and Europe you can order this title directly from Guilford Press.

• Binding: Hardback
• Pages: 467
• Published by: Guilford Press
• Publication Date: 30th September 2007
• ISBN: 978-1-59385-486-7

About the Book

Timely and authoritative, this volume reviews the breadth of current knowledge on the self-conscious emotions and their role in psychological and social functioning. Leading investigators approach the subject from multiple levels of analysis, ranging from basic brain mechanisms to complex social processes. Chapters present compelling advances in understanding research on the most fundamental self-conscious emotions: embarrassment, guilt, humiliation, pride, and shame. Addressed are neural and evolutionary mechanisms, developmental processes, cultural differences and similarities, and influences on a wide array of social behaviors and personality processes. A unique chapter on assessment describes and evaluates the full range of available measures.

Reviews

'What a great book! Self-conscious emotions, such as shame, guilt, and pride, play a pivotal role in social and self-regulation. The contributors to this book add to our understanding of these emotions at every level - from their neural basis, cognitive underpinnings, and development, to their societal functions and cross-cultural differences. This book is a 'must read' for researchers and students interested in personality, identity, emotion, moral development, relationships, and culture.' - Carol S. Dweck, PhD, Department of Psychology, Stanford University, USA

'Until now, the science of emotion has focused primarily on anxiety, sadness, and anger, but this wonderful book will help broaden that focus to include embarrassment, shame, guilt, pride, and humiliation. Tracy, Robins, and Tangney bring together world-class scientists who have written very informative and interesting chapters. The book is outstanding in its exploration of the biological, social, and developmental roots of the self-conscious emotions. Addressing such diverse topics as morality, risky behavior, conformity, and nationalism, this book advances the psychology of emotion in very important ways.' - Ed Diener, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, USA

'Self-conscious emotions are at the center of all inquiries into human beings as moral animals. This fascinating volume assembles diverse perspectives on the topic, offering a number of new insights and penetrating analyses. It is the single most important resource for all scholars hoping to get a glimpse at this emerging area of research.' - Shinobu Kitayama, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, USA

Table of Contents

Part I: Theoretical Perspectives: Social, Cognitive, and Neural Mechanisms Underlying Self-Conscious Emotions. Tracy, Robins, The Self in Self-Conscious Emotions: A Cognitive Appraisal Approach. Tangney, Stuewig, Mashek, What's Moral about the Self-Conscious Emotions? Leary, How the Self Became Involved in Affective Experience: Three Sources of Self-Reflective Emotions. Beer, Neural Systems for Self-Conscious Emotions and Their Underlying Appraisals. Gruenewald, Dickerson, Kemeny, A Social Function for Self-Conscious Emotions: The Social Self Preservation Theory. Part II: Developmental Contexts and Processes. Lagattuta, Thompson, The Development of Self-Conscious Emotions: Cognitive Processes and Social Influences. Hart, Matsuba, The Development of Pride and Moral Life. Lewis, Self-Conscious Emotional Development. Part III: Cultural Influences. Goetz, Keltner, Shifting Meanings of Self-Conscious Emotions across Cultures: A Social-Functional Approach. Fessler, From Appeasement to Conformity: Evolutionary and Cultural Perspectives on Shame, Competition, and Cooperation. Edelstein, Shaver, A Cross-Cultural Examination of Lexical Studies of Self-Conscious Emotions. Wong, Tsai, Cultural Models of Shame and Guilt. Li, Fischer, Respect as a Positive Self-Conscious Emotion in European Americans and Chinese. Part IV: Specific Emotions: Function and Conceptualization. Miller,Is Embarrassment a Blessing or a Curse? Tracy, Robins, The Nature of Pride. Gilbert, The Evolution of Shame as a Marker for Relationship Security: A Biopsychosocial Approach. Elison, Harter, Humiliation Causes, Correlates, and Consequences. Ferguson, Brugman,White, Eyre, Shame and Guilt as Morally Warranted Experiences. Part V: Special Topics and Applications. Lickel, Schmader, Spanovic, Group-Conscious Emotions: The Implications of Others' Wrongdoings for Identity and Relationships. Stuewig, Tangney, Shame and Guilt in Antisocial and Risky Behaviors. Roberts, Goldenberg, Wrestling with Nature: An Existential Perspective on the Body and Gender in Self-Conscious Emotions. Bosson, Prewitt-Freilino, Overvalued and Ashamed: Considering the Roles of Self-Esteem and Self-Conscious Emotions in Covert Narcissism. Scheff, Runaway Nationalism: Alienation, Shame, and Anger.Part VI: Assessment. Robins, Noftle, Tracy, Assessing Self-Conscious Emotions: A Review of Self-Report and Nonverbal Measures.

About the Author(s)

Edited by Jessica L. Tracy, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, USA; Richard W. Robins, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, USA and June Price Tangney, PhD, Department of Psychology, George Mason University, USA

Customers who bought The Self-Conscious Emotions also bought: