The contributors to this volume conceive of shyness and embarrassment as widely shared everyday experiences where social interaction is inhibited by self-consciousness and feelings of discomfort or foolishness. The dominant position within social psychology that these are aspects of social anxiety is attacked and defended. The role of unwelcome self-referential thoughts in the experience of the social emotions is a recurring theme throughout the book. This intuitively compelling notion is critically evaluated in terms of objective self-awareness, social anxiety, and impression management theories. A psychological account of these experiences is important for both theoretical and practical reasons: it advances the study of social processes and contributes to the remediation of extreme shyness and social anxiety. This is the first book that treats shyness and embarrassment together. Previous studies dealt with these experiences in isolation, even though they can be difficult to distinguish both in ordinary language and in psychological theory. The central assumption of this book is that understanding the "social emotions" will only be possible if they are considered together, if they are located within their social context, and if conceptual and empirical inquiries are closely related.

No two learners are the same, yet the current emphasis in education is on what is common to learners, from a common curriculum to a common teaching method. "Individual Learners" reviews and discusses recent research that shows that differences in personality contribute significantly to children's and adults' experiences of success and failure in education. It considers fundamental issues in the study of personality, and provides an up-to-date review and evaluation of the continuing nature-nurture debate. It then examines traits that can have an impact upon learning: aggressiveness, anxiety, achievement, motivation, self-confidence and shyness. It includes an account of the recent research into the links between personality and education and its implications for educational practice.

The blush is a ubiquitous yet little understood phenomenon which can be triggered by a number of self-conscious emotions such as shame, embarrassment, shyness, pride and guilt. The field of psychology has seen a recent surge in the research of such emotions, yet blushing remains a relatively neglected area. This unique volume brings together leading researchers from a variety of disciplines to review emerging research on the blush, discussing in depth issues that have arisen and stimulating new theorizing to indicate future directions for research. Topics covered include: the psychophysiology of the blush; developmental aspects; measurement issues; its evolutionary significance and the role of similar colour signals in the social life of other species; its relation to embarrassment, shame and social anxiety; and the rationale for, and clinical trials of, interventions to help people suffering from blushing phobia.

The blush is a ubiquitous yet little understood phenomenon which can be triggered by a number of self-conscious emotions such as shame, embarrassment, shyness, pride and guilt. The field of psychology has seen a recent surge in the research of such emotions, yet blushing remains a relatively neglected area. This unique volume brings together leading researchers from a variety of disciplines to review emerging research on the blush, discussing in depth issues that have arisen and stimulating new theorizing to indicate future directions for research. Topics covered include: the psychophysiology of the blush; developmental aspects; measurement issues; its evolutionary significance and the role of similar colour signals in the social life of other species; its relation to embarrassment, shame and social anxiety; and the rationale for, and clinical trials of, interventions to help people suffering from blushing phobia.

In this 1990 volume leading international researchers draw upon a variety of perspectives on the study of shyness and embarrassment, shame, blushing and self-consciousness. The contributors conceive of shyness and embarrassment as widely shared everyday experiences in which the desired routine flow of social interaction is inhibited by self-consciousness and feelings of discomfort or foolishness. The dominant position within social psychology - that these are aspects of social anxiety - is both attacked and defended. The role of unwelcome self-referential thoughts in the experience of the social emotions is critically evaluated in terms of objective self-awareness, social anxiety, and impression management theories. This engaging volume will appeal to all of those interested in psychology - particularly in personality theory, social and clinical psychology, and the study of the self - and to students and teachers of communication studies and related disciplines.