To me, your question is like saying "do we need a face" "do we need a body shape" "do we need personality".

It isn't "need" it's simply "what is." You have a self image. you cannot choose not to have one, if only 'cause in making that choice, you have created a "selfless-selfimage".

Self image is how you see yourself, and is necessarily different from how others see you, in the same way that your husband's image of you is different from your daughter's image of you, which is different from your bosses image of you, which is different from the gangster's image of you. Humans interact with thier world by defining what they see, and putting it into context with the rest of what they see. "i'm like this thing here"; "i am unlike this green leafy thing here", "i am nicer than this person there" "i am fatter than those people over there."


Now, perhaps what you are asking is "do we need to spend so much time on having a 'healthy' self image. for example, it might be a fact that everyone around you speaks 2 languages and you only speak one. It is part of your factual image to say "I speak only one language, my husband, child, inlaws, parents and employees all speak two langes". But then one steps into that who "self judgment" thing, and say "therefore i'm better/worse/pathetic/fine/safe/dumb/exciting because of it".

:: WHY do we need a self image, and can we live without one?

how are we supposed to model hypothetical social interactions with the world if we can't model ourselves? if we couldn't model these situations before trying them out, we'd be hilariously inept!

If you've ever been a mother and a wife - you'd know all about the power of self image. trust me. (to original poster)

Self-image is our personal understanding of ourselves. It would seem to be imperative to have this in order to differentiate ourselves from others. We also need this understanding in order to attempt to understand our relationships with others. I believe that self-image is composed of a reflection of ourselves from others and well as personal introspection.

I need some self image and some people probably agree. I like a light, loose, jingle to my step. A creation the sun shines upon. Going around without a backpack upon me nor my hands upon a steering wheel. I ask that things see me and think or say, "that is him". Thats about as far as I need self-image. There could be more understanding that what I have said.

I agree with the fact that self image is there whether you want it or not, but.....

True self image, how you see yourself, your true self. All that matters how you perceive and define yourself, not for the benefit of others but your own benefit. For no one else knows or sees who your true self is, for each person sees you differently from the next, they see a parts of you that you show them....but never can that define you for you are more.

I wrote a poem The Essence Of Me....i think this summed up who i see myself as, but everyone who knows me only sees one or some of those but never all...

For if i didn't know myself, how would exist to know all your aspects that make you whole and one is beneficial to your own growth and wellbeing. And new aspects are often added through out your life. Your self image is like a puzzle as you grow you add all the pieces until it is complete. It grows as you grow.