If I am right, that shame is ceding superiority to, in the case of Developmental Trauma, the world, then it is logically inconsistent with the formation of personal agency, personal power, and a sense of personhood. Shame is saying “you decide, because I am unworthy”. It is living the lives of others, because you cannot conceive how to live your own, your own way, because everything you do is wrong, even before you do it. It is wrong before, during and after. I myself am very familiar with this sensation.
For those who seek power, of course, shame is an extraordinarily useful emotion to cultivate, and if I might comment, Original Sin is quite perfect for that purpose, particularly when those in power are dispensing the remedy.
What shame underlies those who seek such power, of course, must also be profound. No sane person seeks power over others. It may be that some one or two people in a group possess exceptional power of perception and action, and thus become logical leaders, but the people I am talking about seek power whether they are the most deserving or not.
Peace of mind is a precious thing, and no one who properly values it will disturb it except for the best of reasons. Odysseus was right to feign madness.