Fear

  • fear - an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is (one or more of the following):
    • dangerous
    • likely to cause pain
    • a threat

Shyness

  • shyness - being reserved or having or showing nervousness or timidity in the company of other people
  • a feeling of:
    • fear of embarrassment
    • fear of the unknown or unfamiliar
    • fear of making decisions
    • easily frightened
    • disposed to avoid committing oneself to person or thing
  • not an emotion but a more general long-term affective trait (primarily related to anxiety about strangers)
  • shyness has a strange element of narcissism, a belief that how we look, how we perform, is truly important to other people

Courage

  • courage - the ability to do something (right or good) even though it is (one of more of the following):
    • frightening and/or dangerous
    • painful
    • difficult/tough
  • not an emotion but a behavioral attitude
  • courage enables us to take the optimal action while being in danger

Shyness and Courage

  • shyness is not the presence of fear
  • courage is not the absence of fear
  • both shyness and courage are ways of facing fear

Shame

  • shame - a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior
  • shame is probably one of the most powerful emotions for moral behavior and is closely connected to self-esteem
  • In shame, one thinks of oneself as a bad person, not simply as someone who did a bad thing. When shame is due to a certain action, this action is taken to be indisputable proof of one’s own character rather than as an isolated action that may be ascribed to negligence or weakness of will

Shyness and Shame

  • both involve viewing one’s self in light of certain norms/expectations (whether good or bad), especially those that are also adopted by others
  • both derived from an interest in how others and/or self regard us