A quantitative content analysis and a thematic analysis were made of the "Washington Post," the "New York Times,""Newsweek," and "Time" from November 4, 1980, through January 20, 1981, to examine President-elect Reagan's transition period in order to determine his impression management--the way he defined himself and his relationships with other governmental actors and with the public at large--during that period. The analyses revealed that Reagan was generally successful in managing his persona. However, although he managed to avoid violations of type, he ran into trouble by pursuing a theory of silence and withdrawing from active participation in the Washington scene. But, the Reagan team recognized their mistakes and eventually pursued an adaptive strategy that for the most part corrected the Reagan image problem. (Author/HOD)