Antecedents of Concern for Personal Reputation: The Role of Group Entitativity and Fear of Social Exclusion

In three studies we tested whether concern for personal reputation varies as a function of the entitativity of the community or group to which individuals belong. The first correlational study (N = 135) showed that perceived group entitativity was positively correlated with concern for personal reputation expressed by its members. The second 2 × 2 factorial design experiment (N = 104) confirmed that, regardless of the kind of group, the level of manipulated entitativity enhances individuals' concern for reputation. Finally, the third 2 × 2 factorial design experiment (N = 98) indicated that this link is fully mediated by the fear of social exclusion. This research contributes to defining conditions influencing reputation management processes.