Feeling like you are not good enough for the position you are in is a common experience. Known as imposter phenomenon (or more commonly as imposter syndrome), the feeling that you are not capable or underqualified to be a member of a group or hold a position - even although we are - affects almost all of us from time to time. Initially conceptualised by Clance and Imes in 1978, it was initially believed that imposter phenomenon impacted high achieving women, but we now know that it can impact anyone. This can be in any walk of life but is most common in periods of transition, for example if you start a new job, start at a new school, or even if you were to join a new football team.
The feeling of imposter phenomenon can arise from socially comparing yourself to others, something that we do quite often. People look to their peers and believe that they are not as capable and, as a result, begin to doubt their own abilities. Those that suffer from imposter phenomenon often describe feeling as though they have tricked those around them into believing that they are capable, and eventually they are going to be ‘found out’.
At the University of Aberdeen, Dr Ewan Bottomley has been investigating imposter phenomenon in higher education. He has found in his recent studies that undergraduate students can experience imposter phenomenon, particularly in the transition to university. His work has also found that undergraduates with high levels of imposter phenomenon can attribute their successes to external factors, such as luck, and that imposter phenomenon can be a barrier to progression in academia.
To help students, Ewan is working in conjunction with the University of St Andrews to create a workshop focusing on imposter phenomenon. The workshop aims to help students talk about their experiences of imposter phenomenon and create a social support network to aid students when they do feel like an imposter. This workshop has been run at multiple universities across Scotland and in several different disciplines.
Ewan is also working to understand some of the psychological underpinnings of imposter feelings, such as how imposter phenomenon relates to perfectionism. His aim is to soon create a freely available toolkit to help companies and university departments when their employees and students are suffering from imposter phenomenon.
If you would like to hear more about this research, please feel free to reach out to Dr Ewan Bottomley at: ewan.bottomley@abdn.ac.uk.
Dr Ewan Bottomley, School of Psychology
