[Disappearance of shame and puberty in girls]

The sense of shame seems to vanish for more than a decade now, manifested e.g. by an increasing tolerance toward the naked female body. However, it is supposed that shame has still its significance especially during female puberty. Psychological considerations referring to shame and to the puberty of girls are reported and the significance of feeling ashamed in this salient segment of female development is delineated. Finally a concept is proposed within which the feeling of shame is understood as a possibility to create accordance between the positive aspects of being ashamed and the tendency of going beyond the borders of shame usually guaranteed by social rules.