Character Assassination and Reputation Management: Theory and Applications offers the first comprehensive examination of character assassination. In modern politics as well as in historical times, character attacks abound. Words and images, like psychological weapons, have sullied or destroyed numerous individual reputations. How does character assassination "work" and when or why does it not? Are character attacks getting worse in the age of social media? Why do many people fail when they are under character attack? How should they prevent attacks and defend against them?
1. Introduction
2. Character Assassination in History
3. Approaches and Methodology to Study Character Assassination
4. The Actors in Character Attacks
5. Content and Types of Character Attacks
6. Means and Venues
7. The Impact of Character Attacks
8. Defending Against and Managing Character Attacks
9. The Culture Factor
10. Character Assassination in Democracies
11. The Political Factor: Authoritarianism
12. Character Assassination in International Relations
13. The Gender and Sexuality Factor
14. Character Attacks in Sports, Science, and Entertainment
Conclusion