Aren’t there any positive reasons for attention-seeking behavior? If the answers here are correct, than all the movie stars and politicians must be the most insecure people on earth. I don’t think that’s the case.
I think some people are very confident, and they believe they have something that other people want. They believe in themselves and therefore they can sell themselves. They may believe they are talented, and want to share their gift with others.
Some people may just enjoy creating fun. They might make fun of themselves to relax other people. They might display themselves in order to take unwanted attention away from others. Hell, they may even be sacrificing themselves for the greater good (shoot me instead of those ten kids).
People may seek attention in order to bolster their self-esteem, but if they actually get the attention, then they might start to feel worthy of it. Then what? Should they quit seeking it? Are they cured? Or is it that they become worthy and then they can seek the attention with no hidden agenda?