iBet uBet web content aggregator. Adding the entire web to your favor.
iBet uBet web content aggregator. Adding the entire web to your favor.



Link to original content: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33312149
Contextualizing the Impostor "Syndrome" - PubMed Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Nov 13:11:575024.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.575024. eCollection 2020.

Contextualizing the Impostor "Syndrome"

Sanne Feenstra  1 , Christopher T Begeny  2 , Michelle K Ryan  1   2 , Floor A Rink  1 , Janka I Stoker  1 , Jennifer Jordan  3
Affiliations

Contextualizing the Impostor "Syndrome"

Sanne Feenstra et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

The impostor "syndrome" refers to the notion that some individuals feel as if they ended up in esteemed roles and positions not because of their competencies, but because of some oversight or stroke of luck. Such individuals therefore feel like frauds or "impostors." Despite the fact that impostor feelings are often linked to marginalized groups in society, to date, research predominantly approaches this phenomenon as an issue of the individual: pointing toward individuals for the roots and solutions of the "syndrome." Drawing from a rich body of social and organizational psychology research, in this perspectives piece, we propose a shift in how scholars conceptualize and empirically examine this phenomenon. Instead of framing the insecurities of individuals belonging to marginalized groups solely as a problem that arises within these individuals, we argue that it is critical for future research to consider the important role of the environment in eliciting their impostor feelings as well. By doing so, we can address the contextual roots of individuals' impostor feelings, and offer more structural and effective solutions.

Keywords: impostor phenomenon; impostor syndrome; institutional underrepresentation; social context; stereotypes; unequal treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edn Arlington: American Psychiatric Association.
    1. Austin C. C., Clark E. M., Ross M. J., Taylor M. J. (2009). Impostorism as a mediator between survivor guilt and depression in a sample of African American college students. College Stud. J. 43 1094–1109.
    1. Begeny C. T., Ryan M. K., Moss-Racusin C. A., Ravetz G. (2020). In some professions women have become well-represented, yet gender bias persists–perpetuated by those who think it is not happening. Sci. Adv. 6:eaba7814 10.1126/sciadv.aba7814 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bernard D. L., Hoggard L. S., Neblett E. W., Jr. (2018). Racial discrimination, racial identity, and impostor phenomenon: a profile approach. Cultur. Divers. Ethnic Minor. Psychol. 24 51–61. 10.1037/cdp0000161 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bernard N. S., Dollinger S. J., Ramaniah N. V. (2002). Applying the big five personality factors to the impostor phenomenon. J. Pers. Assess. 78 321–333. 10.1207/s15327752jpa7802_07 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources