Identity as Self-Image

Roland Bénabou and Luca Henkel

No 12147, CESifo Working Paper Series from CESifo

Abstract: We review the economic literature on self-image, which conceptualizes identity as a set of beliefs about one’s core traits, values, goals, and social ties. Self-image concerns lead individuals to process information and make choices in non-standard ways that help affirm and protect certain valued identities. We first present the main cognitive mechanisms involved within a simple unifying framework. We then survey the extensive laboratory, online, and field experimental literature on the nature and behavioral implications of self-image concerns. We discuss in particular how they give rise to information and decision avoidance, motivated memory and beliefs, excuse-driven behavior, preferences for truth-telling, hypothetical bias, moral cleansing and moral licensing, collective identities, political preferences, and other forms of self-signaling or self-deception. We subsequently discuss common empirical strategies used to identify self-image concerns, as well as the threats to their validity and how to alleviate them. We conclude by outlining open questions and directions for future research on the belief-based approach to identity.

Keywords: self-image; identity; motivated beliefs; belief-based utility; behavioral economics; experimental economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C90 D01 D91 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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