Reputation

Getting Started...

Some possible search terms for databases/search engines:

"reputation"
"reputation" OR "public image"
"reputation" AND "society"
"reputation" AND "psychology"
"social norms"
"social norms" AND "reputation"
"reputation AND influence"
"public image" AND "power"

Read:

Psychology Today - "What Makes a Good Reputation"

This entry on the Psychology Today site takes a look at what contributes to our idea of good or bad reputations and how these factors align or differ across cultures and genders.

"Harnessing the Power of Reputation"

This paper takes a look at the ways that reputation can contribute to cooperation in groups.

"The Gender Credibility Gap"

Read this web page on the Gender Credibility Gap and then watch the Ted Talk by the author of the article (right).

Reputation partly comes from our collective understandings of societal norms--the ways that we all agree to see certain issues or characteristics. The reputations of people in 1692 Salem Massachussetts were informed by the societal norms of the day. The reputations of people called before the House Un-American Activities Committee were similarly informed by the culture of the day. Take a look at these videos for a couple of takes on how our current social climate informs differences in how men and women are seen and heard.

Gale Databases

The Vermont Online Library is a great source for reference, news, magazines, audio/video files and more.

Use Gale in Context: High School for general resources/searches. You can use the Gale OneFile: Psychology database to find resources on the psychology of reputation and what types of personality traits contribute and are impacted by reputation.

Get started with this academic paper which looks at the research on reputation, the various personality types and how those affect a person's focus on reputation, and how the idea of reputation functions within groups: "Who Cares for Reputation?".

This report also looks at the idea of reputation as it pertains to group cooperation. Another interesting study looked at how reputation affects people's willingness to cooperate with one another. You can read about that here. And "Rebels With a Cause?" offers insights into why someone might choose to break a social norm and how that might impact that person's level of influence within a group.

Note: You can filter your searches by content level in all of these databases!

Britannica School

Britannica School is a great place to start most research projects. You'll find helpful articles offering foundational information for your topic, plus additional resources and recommended web resources connected to your topic (see the "Related" tab in each article).

Try the Britannica School entry on "Norm (Society)" for a concise overview of the idea of social norms and a couple of takes on why these exist or what purpose they serve in a society. Also of interest is the entry on "Social Structure" which offers thoughts on why societies form these types of structures and hierarchies and what they mean for how individuals function within them. You may also want to check out the entry on "Sanction (Social Sciences)" which looks at the various ways that individuals can be punished or rewarded for adhering to or breaking social norms.

U.S. Major Dailies

For relevant newspaper sources, try searching the U.S. Major Dailies database from ProQuest. Log in with your CSD Google account.

What role might gender have on how people are seen within the justice system? Take a look at this 1993 L.A. Times article titled, "Lawyers Testify to Gender Bias in Courts".

Reminder: Explore the "More Like This" and "Related Articles" sections in each of the database articles in order to find more resources and dig deeper.

Watch:

"Why Reputations Fail"

Although reputations are thought to be an effective and inexpensive instrument to discriminate between bad and good partners in human societies, they often don’t completely line up with reality. In this Talk, Francesca shares some possible explanations for these reputational failures. As an associate professor in sociology, Francesca is interested in understanding how gossip and reputation work.

"Interconnected: Your Legacy and Your Reputation"

By illustrating the importance of one’s legacy, Jenny Brown talks about everyday actions and decisions and how they connect to collectively define not only who we are, but also create our legacy. The challenge is to be mindful about the daily decision making process, create a values structure that will help navigate this process and be more intentional about the decisions they make, no matter how insignificant it all may appear on the surface.

"Reputation Management in the Digital Era"

As we step into a much more digitally connected era where social media and online search has merged, we are leaving our digital fingerprints everywhere. These fingerprints define your image as an individual or as a company. Your digital reputation is defined by your appearance in the online environment and by the content you post about yourself and others. Photos, blog posts, press releases and social networking interactions will all shape how you are perceived by others online and offline, both now and in the future.

Making Connections:

In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, some characters' actions go against the social norms of the time. What are the consequences of these actions? How are the characters' reputations affected? Are the consequences or effects different depending on the social status or gender of the character?

Read more about social norms, how they operate within a social group, and how they can change or evolve over time: "Social Norms"
What is the lasting power of reputation for public figures? Consider this article from the Wall Street Journal about Andrew Cuomo's recent bid for New York Mayor two years after his fall from grace for sexual misconduct allegations. What was the price that the accused and accusers paid in terms of reputation during and after the Salem Witch Trials?
What role does gender play in terms of reputation and opportunities? Consider this 2016 Washington Post article.

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