Self-conscious emotions, such as shame, guilt, and pride, are distinct from basic emotions like fear and sadness. They require self-awareness and self-representations, emerging later in childhood and serving socialized needs. Unlike basic emotions, self-conscious emotions are cognitively complex and do not have universally recognized facial expressions. They are influenced by appraisals of identity goals and congruence with self-representations. Existing models of basic emotions do not adequately capture self-conscious emotions due to their unique cognitive and social dimensions. A new model is proposed, emphasizing the role of self-evaluations, identity goals, and causal attributions in generating self-conscious emotions. This model highlights the importance of self-awareness, self-representations, and the distinction between self-conscious and basic emotions. The model also addresses the challenges in studying self-conscious emotions, including the difficulty in eliciting and measuring them. The article argues for greater attention to self-conscious emotions in psychological research, emphasizing their critical role in motivating complex human behaviors. The model provides a framework for understanding the processes underlying self-conscious emotions and their implications for future research on self and emotion.Self-conscious emotions, such as shame, guilt, and pride, are distinct from basic emotions like fear and sadness. They require self-awareness and self-representations, emerging later in childhood and serving socialized needs. Unlike basic emotions, self-conscious emotions are cognitively complex and do not have universally recognized facial expressions. They are influenced by appraisals of identity goals and congruence with self-representations. Existing models of basic emotions do not adequately capture self-conscious emotions due to their unique cognitive and social dimensions. A new model is proposed, emphasizing the role of self-evaluations, identity goals, and causal attributions in generating self-conscious emotions. This model highlights the importance of self-awareness, self-representations, and the distinction between self-conscious and basic emotions. The model also addresses the challenges in studying self-conscious emotions, including the difficulty in eliciting and measuring them. The article argues for greater attention to self-conscious emotions in psychological research, emphasizing their critical role in motivating complex human behaviors. The model provides a framework for understanding the processes underlying self-conscious emotions and their implications for future research on self and emotion.