Abstract
The impostor phenomenon (IP) refers to high-achievers who underestimate their abilities and thus fear being unmasked as impostors. IP sufferers attribute their success to factors other than their abilities, entailing negative emotions, unfavorable motivations, and reduced well-being. The IP was originally conceptualized as a predominantly female experience, and is thus seen as an important psychological barrier for female academic careers. Empirical findings of gender differences in the IP are equivocal, but sparse research on associations between gender-role orientation and the IP indicates that feminine students suffer more intensely from the IP than masculine students. Femininity and masculinity are also related to self-compassion, a rather young construct that enhances emotional resilience, well-being, and academic achievement. Self-compassion involves being kind to oneself when failing, perceiving one’s inadequacies as part of the human condition, and being mindful about negative aspects of oneself. It reduces fear of failure, denial of competences, and self-doubts which are central components of the IP. However, relations between self-compassion and the IP have not been investigated to date. In this study, we examine self-compassion as a potential resilience factor against the IP, taking gender and gender-role orientation into account. In a cross-sectional online survey, we investigated 459 (315 female) high-achieving first-year undergraduate students. Results include: Female, feminine, and undifferentiated students score higher on measures of the IP and lower on measures of self-compassion than male, masculine, or androgynous students. Higher levels of the IP are associated with lower levels of self-compassion across all students tested. Self-compassion further mediates the relationship between gender-role orientation and the IP. Interventions to enhance self-compassion might thus be an effective way to overcome impostor feelings. Female, feminine, and undifferentiated students might benefit most from facilitation of self-compassion in education.
Highlights
Women are underrepresented in academic careers across Europe, the majority of students entering undergraduate programs is female (European Commission, 2016)
We focused on undergraduate students in their first year as the impostor phenomenon (IP) is not well researched in this sample, even though impostor experiences are theoretically linked to drop-out intentions and first-year undergraduates are especially vulnerable to academic attrition (e.g., Clance, 1985b; Szulecka et al, 1987; Baars and Arnold, 2014)
The present study shows that the IP is highly prevalent in first-year undergraduate students, especially in female students, and in students with feminine and undifferentiated gender-role orientation
Summary
Women are underrepresented in academic careers across Europe, the majority of students entering undergraduate programs is female (European Commission, 2016). Individuals experiencing the IP either procrastinate and balance that by excessive preparation or immediately prepare excessively When they are successful with these learning styles, they attribute their success to luck or effort. (2) IP sufferers feel an urgent need to be special, i.e., to master challenges but to be outstanding These unrealistically high expectations trigger self-doubts and explain their reduced perception of capability, despite objective evidence suggesting the opposite. (3) Superwoman/Superman aspects indicate that IP sufferers do expect themselves to be outstanding, their effort must be negligible This accounts for selfdoubts and feelings of fraudulence, especially when IP sufferers cannot live up to their unrealistic expectancies. They rely on alternative explanations for their success aside from their abilities. (6) Fear of success is grounded in IP sufferers’ doubts about their ability to repeat success and live up to increased expectations of others
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