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...