I would say that the main purpose of the European Union is to strengthen the economy of the member states by merging their economies and by introducing one stronger, common economy - a stronger economy for the states means a better comfort of life in those states.
The looking-glass self is a social psychological concept introduced by Charles Horton Cooley in 1902 (McIntyre 2006). The concept of the looking-glass self describes the development of one's self and of one's identity through one's interpersonal interactions within the context of society.
They built aqueducts that retrieved water from the mountains
