Impostor Phenomenon and Discipline-Specific Experiences of Violence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Abstract

Impostor phenomenon (IP) engenders persistent, self-deprecating beliefs of fraudulence for those who cannot internalize success and fear that they have fooled others into overestimating their abilities. Although well documented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), discipline-specific experiences of IP within STEM are not well explored, but could illustrate if there are nuances within STEM disciplines. This qualitative study examined discipline-specific experiences of IP due to academic workplace violence. Semistructured interviews from 34 United States-based, female PhD students were analyzed qualitatively using constant comparative method. Participants were recruited using convenience/snowball sampling for a brief survey and further interviewed based on certain eligibility criteria. Findings suggest that IP related to three types of disciplines, those involving outdoor fieldwork (e.g., geology), those with a predominantly higher number of men (e.g., physics), and those with a predominantly higher number of women (e.g., biology). Academic workplace violence included nonphysical abusive behavior, gender-based harassment, incivility, unwanted sexual attention, abusive supervision, and microaggressions. While those experiencing IP due to workplace violence were all women, perpetrators included men and women in positions of power (e.g., PhD advisors) as well as male peers. Findings enriched our understanding of IP experienced as a result of academic workplace violence.