Shame is a mental dam against the aggressive instinct or the destructive passion for the real. Unlike guilt, shame does not seek to penetrate surfaces or tear away veils... rather, it seeks comfort in them, hides itself in them as in a safe haven.
Shame is causally connected to sexual inhibitions and to certain forms of sexual perversion.
Shame is an evaluative statement by the self in relation to the self whereas guilt is an evaluative statement by the self in relation to an action one has committed. In shame we become the object as well as the subject of shame. In guilt the object is external to the self, since the focus of guilt is upon the action that does not meet certain cultural standards.
Shame is a feminine characteristic par excellence and has as its purpose concealment of genital deficiency.
Shame is a reaction-formation and a defense against excessive pleasure, against libidinous feelings.
Shame is a borderline affect which allows us to forget that there is nothing behind the masks but other masks and thereby keeps us captured in the game of interpretation. It results in our acknowledging and at the same time denying that the life we construct for ourselves is a fiction. It allows us to keep the abyss at a distance in favor of life.