Who Cares for Reputation? Individual Differences and Concern for Reputation

Reputation is highly important within groups as it provides a number of benefits, at both an instrumental (including access to valuable resources and the likelihood to influence others) and a symbolic level (e.g., satisfaction of fundamental esteem needs). In the present paper, we proposed and found that the degree to which people are concerned about their reputation is sensitive to personality differences. We found evidence that prevention focus and others’ approval as contingency of self-worth predict concern for reputation via self-monitoring orientation (mediation model). Results are discussed in terms of reputation management, and future research avenues are proposed.