Shame may well be the most socially significant of all the phenomena that are commonly conceived as emotions. It is a socio-cultural phenomenon that reflects and refracts wider social trends and relationships. It helps to define social boundaries, norms and behaviours and signals the state of social bonds (Scheff 1997), as well as providing a powerful tool of social conformity and control. Thus shame is an indispensable and necessary part of the socio-emotional architecture of any social order. This does not prevent it from being a painful, difficult and alienating experience for some individuals and groups in society. Nor does it prevent the exploitation of shame for purposes of power and control by other individuals and groups.

There is a close reciprocal relationship between various kinds of social structure and organisation and different kinds of individual personality structure and disorder (Western 1984). Personalities and intimate relationships are shaped by, as well as shaping, macro-social structures (Wright Mills 1970; Scheff 1990).