Impostor Feelings Research Articles

Remembering John L'Heureux

Remembering John L'Heureux Molly Antopol (bio) John L'Heureux, who died this past April, was an exquisite writer—to the very end; a master teacher; a deeply thoughtful man of faith; and a mentor, in the most profound sense of the word. He carried himself with more innate dignity than any person I have ever known—in his manner of speech, the ideas he imparted, even the way he dressed: always in newly shined shoes and an elegant sports coat. When he taught my workshop at Stanford, I'm pretty sure he was the only one in the classroom wearing gold cuff links. John also read more, knew more about, and better understood American Jewish literature than almost any other former Jesuit priest I know. I remember countless lunches with him, talking about Paley and Ozick and Pearlman and being awed by the depth of his understanding not only of their technical skills but of their experiences—for good and bad—as Americans and as Jews. Before I encountered Grace Paley's stories as an undergraduate, I had never before seen the older generations of my family depicted [End Page 773] on the page. She captured it all: the role of women in supposedly progressive movements, the way politics could seamlessly slide from the kitchen table to the playground and out into the world. Paley had utter compassion for every one of her characters. She was deeply funny without ever resorting to meanness. She wrote political stories, but they were never didactic. John intuited all that, but rather than simply praising her, he wanted to talk about how she accomplished these things. Prior to talking Paley with John, I felt I understood her because her characters were the closest I'd come to finding my relatives in literature. The more we talked, the clearer it became that John understood her work on a different level—he was engaging with it through a thorough exploration of what was happening on the page. And through our discussions I came to appreciate Paley less because her characters were recognizable to me and more for her impeccable craft—which John could parse with Talmudic nuance. At some point it occurred to me that if John could talk this way with me about my favorite writers, he could probably do the same with anyone else in the workshop about theirs. And he could. John spoke with erudition about Southern literature, Japanese fiction, European experimentalists, but especially, it turned out, about The Sopranos, a show he analyzed in minute—and brilliant—detail, and which he considered on par with Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy. John was my very first teacher when I arrived for the Stegner Fellowship in 2006, and I was incredibly nervous. When the director called with the news of my fellowship, my first thought was: this must be a mistake. She must have meant to call the other Molly Antopol. I was convinced everyone belonged in that room but me, that I was the one impostor there. But the moment I walked into that first workshop with John, the moment I understood how he ran the class—well, it would be a lie to say those impostor feelings [End Page 774] melted away; even now, thirteen years later, I still have them every day when I sit at my computer, but suffice to say they were quieted. John, of course, had a unique aesthetic in his own writing. Take, for example, the opening to his extraordinary story, "The Long Black Line," published last year in The New Yorker: Finn said an awkward goodbye to his parents and watched them drive off in the new Buick they had bought in case he changed his mind. They were pleased, of course, at Finn's decision to study for the priesthood, but they were wary, too. It was 1954, and priests were still thought to be holy, and Finn … well … Finn knew that he wasn't holy, but during a retreat in college he had succumbed to a fit of piety and, dizzied by the idea of sacrifice, applied to join the Jesuits. They had put him through a series of interviews, and let him know that...

Impostor Phenomenon Responses of Early Career Music Education Faculty

This study was designed to examine to the extent to which impostor feelings, symptomatic of the psychological condition impostor phenomenon (IP), would be evident in early career university-level music educators. Those experiencing IP are typically successful individuals yet with impostor feelings that may include debilitating psychological effects related to an irrational fear of failure and exposure as a “fraud.” Participants were post–doctoral degree music education faculty in their first 4 years of full-time college teaching ( N = 54). They responded to the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale and to scales adapted for faculty roles of undergraduate teaching, graduate teaching, and research. Results indicated that all participants experienced a moderate or higher level of impostor feelings on at least one of the scales, with five responses indicating intense impostor feelings on at least three scales. Participants’ responses to the Undergraduate Teaching Scale were the most positive. Scores for the Research Scale generated the strongest IP feelings, falling into the frequent or intense category for over 70% of the participants. Strategies that may help faculty members assuage or overcome their impostor feelings include realizing that they are not alone, working with peers, mentors and role models, and acquiring relevant experiences during doctoral preparation.

Self-esteem as a mediator of the link between perfectionism and the impostor phenomenon

Perfectionism has been linked to the impostor phenomenon; however, little is known about the underlying mechanisms of this relationship. Self-esteem was examined for its potential mediating role in the relationship between dimensions of perfectionism (e.g., discrepancy and standards) and the impostor phenomenon among 468 college students. Analyses indicated that self-esteem partially mediated the relationship between perfectionism and impostor feelings. Discrepancy had a positive direct and indirect effect on impostor feelings through the mechanism of self-esteem, while standards had a negative indirect effect on impostor feelings through the mechanism of self-esteem. Implications for enhancing self-esteem among students experiencing maladaptive perfectionism and impostor feelings are discussed.

Learning While Black: A Culturally Informed Model of the Impostor Phenomenon for Black Graduate Students

This study presents a culturally informed model of the impostor phenomenon construct for Black graduate students who attend predominantly White universities. The impostor phenomenon is an internal sense of intellectual fraudulence and a tendency to attribute success to external factors, such as luck. However, the original construct was conceptualized with a sample of White individuals and may not capture the culturally relevant factors for Black graduate students such as race or racial discrimination. Furthermore, only one empirical study investigates impostor feelings in Black graduate students. The current study addresses these gaps by using focus groups to qualitatively investigate the impostor phenomenon in 12 Black graduate students. Inductive thematic analysis revealed five themes ( Awareness of Low Racial Representation, Questioning Intelligence, Expectations, Psychosocial Costs, and Explaining Success Externally) and multiple subthemes. The findings extend the original construct, contribute to a culturally informed framework for understanding the impostor phenomenon in Black graduate students, and have implications for theory, educators, clinicians, and researchers.

What imposters risk at work: Exploring imposter phenomenon, stress coping, and job outcomes

Imposter phenomenon (IP) has traditionally been linked to indicators of psychological well‐being with fewer studies examining the impact on work outcomes. Using conservation of resources (COR) theory, we examined how imposter phenomenon as a personal demand contributed to emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction among a sample of university faculty (N = 310). Our results suggest that individuals who experience high levels of IP deplete critical resources needed to avoid psychological strain in part because of their use of avoidant coping strategies, and in how their experience of emotional exhaustion contributes to low job satisfaction. That is, avoidant coping partially mediated the imposter–emotional exhaustion relationship, and the imposter–job satisfaction relationship is fully and serially mediated through avoidant coping and emotional exhaustion. To help combat imposter feelings and enhance job outcomes, we suggest the use of learning and development interventions as active coping approaches (e.g., training, coaching, and mentoring) geared at correcting how imposters attribute success and failures, increase social support, and normalize the imposter experience.

Buffering Impostor Feelings with Kindness: The Mediating Role of Self-compassion between Gender-Role Orientation and the Impostor Phenomenon.

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.

Examining the Impostor Phenomenon in Relation to Self-Esteem Level and Self-Esteem Instability

The impostor phenomenon involves feelings of intellectual self-doubt that often occur to people in challenging new roles or in the wake of personal success. Many previous studies appear to have understated the relationship between the impostor phenomenon and self-esteem, and have included only measures of self-esteem level in their designs. In the present study, the impostor phenomenon was examined in relation to both self-esteem level and self-esteem instability. Three-hundred and four undergraduates completed the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and a measure of self-rated instability. A subsample was also assessed for statistical instability (n = 38). The impostor phenomenon was negatively correlated with self-esteem level (r = −.62) and positively correlated with self-reported (r = .32) and statistical (r = .57) instability (all ps < .001). A multiple regression model predicting the impostor phenomenon with self-esteem level and self-rated instability revealed a negative main effect of self-esteem level and a significant 2-way interaction. Simple slopes analysis revealed that the negative effect of self-esteem level was weaker among participants with unstable self-esteem, compared to those with stable self-esteem. Results emphasize the critical involvement of self-esteem problems in the impostor phenomenon, indicating that people with low self-esteem are especially vulnerable to impostor feelings, and that people with unstable high self-esteem are more vulnerable to such feelings than are those with stable high self-esteem.

Finding Courage and Confirmation: Resisting Impostor Feelings through Relationships with Mentors, Romantic Partners, and Other Women in Leadership

The Impostor Phenomenon (IP) has recently reappeared in popular culture as a result of the bestseller Lean In. IP asserts that many successful people feel like frauds that will be discovered in time. Twenty-nine women in leadership were interviewed in this qualitative study, and it was discovered that the majority of them do not have impostor feelings. Their confidence can be attributed to strong relationships with mentors, romantic partners, and other women in leadership.

Impostor feelings as a moderator and mediator of the relationship between perceived discrimination and mental health among racial/ethnic minority college students.

This study investigated whether impostor feelings would both moderate and mediate the relationship between perceived discrimination and mental health in a sample of diverse ethnic minority college students (106 African Americans, 102 Asian Americans, 108 Latino/a Americans) at an urban public university. African American students reported higher perceived discrimination than Asian American and Latino/a American students, while no racial/ethnic group differences were reported for impostor feelings. Analyses revealed that among African American students, high levels of impostor feelings moderated the perceived discrimination and depression relationship and mediated the perceived discrimination and anxiety relationship. Among Asian American students, impostor feelings mediated the relationship between perceived discrimination and both depression and anxiety. Among Latino/a American students low levels of impostor feelings moderated the relationship between perceived discrimination and both depression and anxiety, and partially mediated the relationship between perceived discrimination and anxiety. Multigroup path analyses revealed a significantly stronger impact of impostor feelings on depression among African American students and a stronger impact of perceived discrimination on impostor feelings among African American and Latino/a American students. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

An Examination of the Impact of Racial and Ethnic Identity, Impostor Feelings, and Minority Status Stress on the Mental Health of Black College Students

This study examined ethnic identity, racial centrality, minority status stress, and impostor feelings as predictors of mental health in a sample of 218 Black college students. Ethnic identity was found to be a significant positive predictor of mental health, whereas minority status stress and impostor feelings were significant negative predictors. Although ethnic identity was the strongest predictor of mental health, racial centrality represented a nonsignificant, negative predictor. Counseling implications for Black college students are discussed.Este estudio examinó la identidad étnica, la centralidad racial, el estrés por estatus de minoría y los sentimientos de impostor como indicadores de salud mental en una muestra de 218 estudiantes universitarios negros. Se halló que la identidad étnica es un indicador positivo significativo de salud mental, mientras que el estrés por estatus de minoría y los sentimientos de impostor fueron indicadores negativos significativos. Aunque la identidad étnica fue el indicador más fuerte de salud mental, la centralidad racial representó un indicador negativo no significativo. Se discuten las implicaciones para la consejería de estudiantes universitarios negros.

An Inner Barrier to Career Development: Preconditions of the Impostor Phenomenon and Consequences for Career Development.

The impostor phenomenon (IP) is increasingly recognized as an important psychological construct for career development, yet empirical research on how it functions in this domain is sparse. We investigated in what way impostor feelings are related to the fear of failure, fear of success, self-esteem, and the career-development aspects career planning, career striving, and the motivation to lead. We conducted two studies with independent samples of university students (N = 212) in a laboratory study and working professionals (N = 110) in an online study. In both samples, impostor feelings were fostered by fear of failure, fear of success, and low self-esteem and they decreased career planning, career striving, and the motivation to lead. A path analysis showed that impostor feelings had the most negative effects on career planning and career striving in students and on the motivation to lead in working professionals. The results suggest that the IP is relevant to career development in different ways at different career stages. Practical implications and interventions to reduce the negative effects of impostor feelings on career development are discussed.

The Roles of Gender Stigma Consciousness, Impostor Phenomenon and Academic Self-Concept in the Academic Outcomes of Women and Men

The question of gender differences in academic outcomes has been widely reported and debated. Recent data suggest more similarities than differences in achievement, yet also show males being more likely to make ability attributions for grades while females are more likely to make effort attributions. Thus, it may be more useful to focus on underlying factors and psychological processes that are gendered and influence academic outcomes. The primary purpose of this study was to test a hypothesized model of academic outcomes in a sample of U.S. undergraduate women and men in the Southwest (345 women, 146 men). Participants were recruited from an educational psychology subject pool and completed an online survey. A hypothesized path model was tested that linked gender stigma consciousness to impostor phenomenon, and linked impostor phenomenon to the academic outcomes of disengagement and grade point average (GPA) through academic self-concept. Alternative models were also tested that included 1) academic self-concept predicting impostor feelings, 2) impostor feelings predicting gender stigma consciousness, and 3) GPA predicting academic self-concept. Results revealed the hypothesized model fit the data reasonably well across men and women while the alternative models resulted in a poorer fit. However, there were notable differences in some of the paths. The path from impostor phenomenon to GPA was significant for women but not men, while the path from academic self-concept to disengagement was significant for men but not women. Theoretical and practical implications regarding the gendered role of impostor feelings in grades are discussed.

Impostorism is Associated with Greater Psychological Distress and Lower Self-Esteem for African American Students

The impostor phenomenon (IP) is a feeling of incompetence and inadequacy despite evidence to the contrary. Feelings of impostorism are associated with poor psychological functioning, including psychological distress and low self-esteem. Though particularly salient in college students, samples of African American college students have rarely been studied. The present study seeks to address this gap by investigating impostorism’s associations with psychological distress and self-esteem in an African American college student sample. We hypothesized that higher impostorism predicts higher psychological distress, and that higher impostorism predicts lower self-esteem. One hundred and twelve participants completed online measures of impostorism, psychological distress, and self-esteem. Using simple linear regression analyses, the results supported both hypotheses – higher impostorism predicted higher psychological distress and higher impostorism predicted lower self-esteem. The findings may be useful for mental health professionals working with African American college students to decrease the impact of imposter feelings on self-esteem, psychological distress, and academic performance.

An Examination of the Impact of Minority Status Stress and Impostor Feelings on the Mental Health of Diverse Ethnic Minority College Students

This study examined differences in minority status stress, impostor feelings, and mental health in a sample of 240 ethnic minority college students. African Americans reported higher minority status stress than Asian Americans and Latino/a Americans, whereas Asian Americans reported higher impostor feelings. Minority status stress and impostor feelings were examined as predictors of mental health. Impostor feelings were stronger predictors of mental health than minority status stress. Counseling implications for ethnic minority students are discussed.Este estudio examinó las diferencias en estrés por estatus de minoría, sentimientos de impostor, y salud mental en una muestra de 240 estudiantes universitarios pertenecientes a minorías étnicas. Los afroamericanos comunicaroun un estrés por estatus de minoría más alto que los asiático‐americanos y los latinoamericanos, mientras que los asiático‐americanos comunicaron sentimientos de impostor más elevados. Se examinaron el estrés por estatus de minoría y los sentimientos de impostor como predictores de salud mental. Los sentimientos de impostor fueron predictores más fuertes de salud mental que el estrés por estatus de minoría. Se discuten las implicaciones en consejería para estudiantes de minorías étnicas.

When Will They Blow My Cover?

This study contributes to explaining psychological barriers in female university careers by examining the relation between the impostor phenomenon and research self-efficacy in the university context. The impostor phenomenon refers to people who are objectively competent but feel the opposite and therefore fear being unmasked. So far, there have been no data from German-speaking countries concerning the impostor phenomenon at universities; thus, the impostor phenomenon was examined in a sample of 631 (389 female) Austrian doctoral students. One-third of the sample reported moderate to strong impostor feelings. Female doctoral students both suffer more from impostor feelings and show lower research self-efficacy than male doctoral students do. Furthermore, the impostor phenomenon and research self-efficacy are associated with faculty membership. The most important finding is that the impostor phenomenon is negatively related to research self-efficacy. Research self-efficacy is an important indicator for successful university careers; hence, the impostor phenomenon was shown to be a psychological barrier for female university careers. Implications for support programs for female doctoral students are discussed.

Relations between impostor feelings and upward and downward identification and contrast among 10- to 12-year-old students

The first objective of this study was to examine the presence of the impostor phenomenon (IP) among 740 students aged 10 to 12 years old. The second objective was twofold: (1) to examine the link between the impostor feelings and the propensity to use social comparison and (2) to examine whether this feeling is related to the processes of identification with versus contrast to others who are either doing better or worse than oneself. Results showed that, although generally of low intensity, the impostor feelings are indeed present in late elementary school children. A positive link between the impostor feelings and the propensity to use social comparison was also observed. It also appeared that, more than for others, children who feel like impostors were likely to differentiate themselves from their more capable peers while identifying themselves with less capable peers. The discussion focuses on the presence of the IP in late elementary children and on how the upward contrast and the downward identification may contribute to its development and maintenance.

Imposter phenomenon and self-handicapping: Links with parenting styles and self-confidence

This study examined parental rearing styles and objective confidence in relation to impostor phenomenon (feelings of phoniness experienced by individuals who have achieved some level of success, Clance & Imes, 1978) and self-handicapping tendencies (creation of an impediment to performance as an excuse for possible failure, Jones & Berglas, 1978). Participants ( N = 115) completed measures of impostorism, self-handicapping, parental bonding (for each parent) and Esoteric Analogies test with confidence judgments. Impostor feelings were predicted by paternal overprotection and lack of paternal care. Self-handicapping scores were predicted by lack of maternal care. A significant relationship was found between impostorism and self-handicapping. Supporting the nature of the impostor phenomenon, impostors showed a “gap” between assessment of their performance and actual task-related achievements.

Parentification and the Impostor Phenomenon: An Empirical Investigation

This article examines the hypothesis that individuals who were parentified as children are more likely to report impostor feelings in adulthood. A sample of 213 graduate students were given the Parentification Questionnaire (Sessions & Jurkovic, 1986) and Clance's Impostor Phenomenon Scale (Clance, 1985). Results indicated that parentification and the impostor phenomenon are moderately correlated (r = .37). No significant gender differences were found for either construct. With regard to racial/ethnic differences, no significant differences were found in parentification scores; however, Caucasians endorsed significantly higher impostor phenomenon scores than African Americans. The results suggest that the impostor phenomenon can be explained, in part, as a significant long-term effect of childhood parentification.

Applying the Big Five Personality Factors to the Impostor Phenomenon

The purpose of this study was to relate the impostor phenomenon (IP) to the Five-factor model of personality. A sample of 190 college students (79 men, 111 women) completed the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (Clance, 1985), the Perceived Fradulence Scale (Kolligian & Sternberg, 1991), and the NEO-Personality Inventory-Revised (Costa & McCrae, 1992). Results of correlational and regression analyses support the predicted relations of imposter measures with high Neuroticism and low Conscientiousness. Facet-level correlations showed that depression and anxiety were particularly important characteristics of those with imposter feelings as well as low self-discipline and perceived competence. Implications for treatment and future research on the IP are discussed.

The impostor phenomenon in British university students: Relationships between self-esteem, mental health, parental rearing style and socioeconomic status

Abstract The role of perceived parental rearing style, parental background, self-esteem, mental health and demographic variables upon impostor phenomenon [IP; Psychotherapy: Theory Research and Practice, 15, (1978) 241–247] intensity was investigated using a cross-sectional survey design, with 107 subjects (78 females, 29 males). A regression analysis revealed that both greater degree of perceived parental control and lower levels of self-esteem emerged as significant predictors of impostor fears, together accounting for 50% of the variation in impostor scores. Parental care score, parental educational and occupational level and subject's mental health and demographic information did not show a significant relationship to impostor scores. A post-hoc regression analysis indicated, however, that in addition to parental protection, lower care and poorer mental health was significantly related to increasing levels of impostor scores and with subjects having attended private school reporting lower levels of impostor feelings. In addition, subjects classified as impostors were found to report significantly higher GHQ scores (poorer mental health) than non-impostors. These findings, which are interpreted in terms of parenting styles, indicate that the role of parental overprotection may be especially implicated in impostor fears.