I have always been curious about the concept of a self-image. I used to be very interested in why some people have a positive or negative self-image. Lately I have begun going a bit deeper and I have been considering what drives people to have a self-image and sustain it in the first place.I have all kinds of ideas, but would be interesting in references to books, theories, or names of fields/areas in psychology which deal with the following questions:Why is a self-image formed in the first-place? What drives us to form and sustain a self-image. What evolutionary benefits are there to having a self-image.Why do we have a drive to incorporate certain characteristics into our self-image (e.g. smart, beautiful) as opposed to others (e.g. dumb, ugly)Thank you very much!
Are there theories which explain why human beings form and sustain a self-image?
cognitive psychology;social psychology;evolutionary psychology;self