I recently read an article on BBC.com about 'embarrassment' and I thought this was a good definition:
Professor Crozier defines embarrassment as when we accidentally "contradict the identity we want to project, leaving a quite disabling sense of being exposed".
And here was a story contained in the article that I found hilarious:
The Shakespearean actor and Star Trek star, Patrick Stewart, recalls a time he was watching television alone in a hotel room and stumbled upon an episode of Next Generation which he barely remembered having filmed."I had forgotten that I'd ordered room service," he says. "The man arrived with my order. He looked at the television and looked at me with such pity."That's the comic timing of embarrassment, in a split second it can turn even a movie star into a lonely loser poring over past glories. If you want to read the full article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6618749.stm
You'll Never Walk Alone.