While commonly referred to as emotions, guilt, shame and embarrassment are quite different from the basic emotions of fear, anger, sadness and joy.

The three are always in the context of relationships and are often referred to as the social emotions.

Embarrassment is an emotional state occurring when a person has acted in a manner that is socially and/or professionally unacceptable act or condition witnessed by or revealed to others. Embarrassment usually has the connotation of being caused by an act that is merely socially unacceptable, rather than morally wrong. It usually involves social humiliation.

Shame is an emotional state occurring when a person has acted in a manner that violates  social and/or cultural values and also is an act believed to be morally wrong by others.

Guilt is an emotional state occurring when a person has acted in a manner that violates personal values. It would be possible in some situations to act in way that others accept or approve but which personally is considered wrong.

As is evident, all three are closely related. Because of that people may use the terms interchangeably.

What is important to understand that each of these conditions will trigger the stress response.