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Updated: Feb 7, 2026

Assessment of Social Interaction Behaviors
Published on: February 25, 2011
The Roles of Self-Esteem and Social Interaction in Embarrassment
W Gerrod Parrott1, John Sabini2, Maury Silver3
1Georgetown University.
Abstract:
This experiment investigated the circumstances that lead to embarrassment. Two theories of embarrassment were tested, one based on social interaction, the other based on self-esteem. The predictions of these two theories were compared in a situation in which the theories make contrasting predictions, namely, one in which esteem-threatening feedback is delivered to a person under the guise of a pleasant but transparent pretext. Subjects (N= 90) reported feelings of embarrassment and of self-esteem that were most consistent with the interaction theory. The implications of these findings for other theories of social anxiety are discussed.
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