  We investigate here how the shearing effects present within a collapsing
matter cloud influence the outcome of gravitational collapse in terms of
formation of either a black hole or a naked singularity as the final end state.
For collapse of practically all physically reasonable matter fields, we prove
that it would always end up in a black hole if it is either shear-free or has
homogeneous density. Thus it follows that whenever a naked singularity forms as
end product, the collapsing cloud must necessarily be shearing with
inhomogeneous density. Our consideration brings out the physical forces at work
which could cause a naked singularity to result as collapse end state, rather
than a black hole.
