Final answer:
The concept in question reflects on how cultural identity is crafted through the distinction between humans and the rest of nature, with animals serving as meaningful symbols in this process. Anthropologists like Claude Lévi-Strauss and Sigmund Freud have commented on this propensity for distinguishing ourselves, which is encompassed in our enculturation and sometimes manifests in ethnocentrism.
Step-by-step explanation:
The expression "All people have cultural images of themselves which serve to separate humanity from the rest of the animal world" represents the concept that our cultural identity and views of the self are constructed in opposition to our notions of nature and the animal kingdom. Claude Lévi-Strauss, a prominent anthropologist, argued that animals and nature are crucial to understanding how humans perceive themselves, as they are "good to think" about the human condition. This construction of identity also manifests in the tendency to focus on the narcissism of minor differences, as discussed by Sigmund Freud, where societies emphasize minute distinctions to maintain social and religious identities, sometimes leading to conflict such as civil wars.
In this context, symbols and artifacts like totemism and other forms of art are important in bringing communities together and helping individuals within those communities to identify with one another. Additionally, enculturation is the process by which we acquire our culture, shaping our actions and beliefs. Ongoing ethnocentrism, which is the belief in the superiority of one's own culture, can be detrimental as it hinders appreciation for the unique qualities and accomplishments of other cultures.