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There appears to be a relationship between shyness and the tendency to experience the self-conscious emotions of embarrassment, shame, and guilt. Shyness was highly correlated with these emotions in the present study. This does not suggest that individuals who are not shy do not also experience these self-conscious emotions. Attribution styles may also play an important role in shy individuals´ tendency to experience self-conscious emotions as such individuals tend to make attributions that cause them to experience these emotions. It seems, therefore, that our emotional life is strongly tied to our cognitive interpretation of the world and ourselves. The present study examined the relationship between shyness and self-conscious emotions in terms of attribution style. Furthermore, the relationships between shame, guilt, and embarrassment and the different attribution styles were also examined. Self-conscious emotions were found to be highly correlated with shyness. Attribution styles may play a significant role in terms of an individual experiencing these emotions.

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I studied at the University of Johannesburg where i did my Masters in Research Psychology. I have worked as a Psychotherapist at CHILDLINE South Africa, an organization that offers therapy to children on issues including physical abuse, sexual abuse amongst others. I am currently working at a Recruitment firm as a Researcher.

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