The Relation Between Impostorism and Attitudes Toward Help-Seeking in Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Navigating academia poses significant challenges for undergraduate students, particularly in the transition from secondary education, where self-regulation and help-seeking are crucial. This study investigates the relationship between feelings of impostorism and attitudes toward help-seeking among undergraduate students. Previous research highlights that while help-seeking can enhance learning and professional development, students may avoid it due to fear of perceived incompetence or burdening others. The impostor phenomenon, characterized by doubts about one’s competence, further complicates this dynamic, with higher impostor feelings correlating with greater reluctance to seek help. This study involved 336 undergraduate students, who completed measures on help-seeking attitudes and feelings of impostorism; data was collected between Fall 2021 and Fall 2023. Results indicated that higher impostor feelings were associated with expectations of undesirable outcomes from help-seeking, though they did not devalue its potential benefits. The findings suggest that students experiencing impostor syndrome might avoid help-seeking as a self-protective measure, potentially hindering their academic progress. Educators can mitigate this by reframing help-seeking as positive academic behavior and fostering environments that encourage anonymous help-seeking. Future research should explore these dynamics in diverse student populations and examine help-seeking behaviors to enhance the generalizability and practical application of these findings.