Empirical Evidence and Studies – What Research Tells Us About IP

Delving into the imposter phenomenon brings to light a simple yet profound truth: Many people feel like frauds, not really deserving of their success. The IP isn’t just in the heads of the individuals who possess it—no matter how elite or accomplished the folks dealing with it might be. The IP has a real and tangible effect on the human cognition that drives us all, and it might just affect a bunch of us more than we realize.

To comprehend IP, it is necessary to differentiate it from concepts that are related but not the same, like self-doubt or low self-esteem. Although these may intersect, self-doubt, low self-esteem, and the impostor phenomenon (IP) involve different characteristics and symptoms. IP is mostly found in high-achieving individuals who feel that their success is unmerited, that they are indeed “fakes” who have somehow managed to fool others into thinking they are more capable and intelligent than they are.

People tend to ascribe their successes to luck instead of their capabilities. They worry that others will see through them and realize they aren’t qualified for what they’re doing. These feelings endure even in the face of plenty of evidence that they’re good at what they do (French et al., 2008).

An increasing amount of empirical evidence demonstrates that the imposter phenomenon is not limited to a few isolated instances but rather is seen across a range of demographics, including students and professionals, and affects all genders (Bravata et al., 2020). Understanding how wide-reachingthis can be (and not just for a few exceptional individuals) can help demystify the experience and direct our attention to the real (and often dire) psychological bases and consequences of being a phony in one’s mind.

When we look closely at the findings from research about the imposter phenomenon, we see several things very clearly. Among these is the potential for the IP to act as a nearly invisible barrier—a wall almost—that keeps those it affects from living lives of self-assurance and, consequently, lives that are fulfilled to their potential (Bravata et al., 2020). We also see the opposite potential of the wall–the potential for wall-busting. In other words, what data is found and written about the phenomenon helps us to push past the fear of consequences yielded by the IP, and assures us that strategies do exist for overcoming it.

Defining the Imposter Phenomenon

The imposter phenomenon (IP), more commonly known as imposter syndrome, is a psychological pattern in which individuals consistently doubt their accomplishments and live in neurotic fear of being outed as “frauds.” The imposter phenomenon is often seen in high-achieving individuals who can’t quite internalize their success. Even when these people are met with undeniable evidence that they are successful, they won’t accept it. What seems to be going on here is that these people have convinced themselves that the way they got here is, in essence, not the way they should have gotten here and that they should be doing better and more impressive things than they are doing.

Understanding the Nuances

It is important to tell apart imposter phenomenon from associated concepts like self-doubt and low self-esteem. These are not the same, and mixing them up does not help make sense of what is going on. Self-doubt is about being not sure of one’s ability in certain, specific situations. Low self-esteem is about feeling generally inadequate. The imposter phenomenon is more broadly encompassing a deep, profound, and usually hidden fear of being found out as a fraud. Part of what makes this phenomenon so interesting and relevant is the fact that it can and often does affect high-achieving individuals who appear outwardly very confident and capable.

The people who experience this phenomenon almost uniformly attribute their success to external causes, like luck or good timing (French et al., 2008). They don’t seem to realize that they are at least as capable and intelligent as those around them, and they certainly don’t seem to grasp that their success is due, in large part, to their talent and hard work.

Symptoms Associated With Imposter Phenomenon

Individuals dealing with imposter syndrome often undergo a series of extreme emotional highs and lows that affect their personal and professional lives. Some of these folks hardly sleep at night, tossing and turning as they somehow try to make sense of the nonstop worry that plagues them. For a few, even the simple act of walking into their office (or any space where work is expected of them) can be an overwhelming undertaking. And for what? For being afraid that they’re not enough.

Psychological distress also shows up in the signs: folks are depressed, they’re stressed to the max, some can’t cope and are burnt out, and many feel shame when they believe their perceived “success” was just a matter of luck or some kind of external manipulation. The clearer we are about how bad it is, the more mental health symptoms we see, and the more we understand how the whole thing is working and feeding on itself.

To grasp the full meaning of IP, one must look beyond superficial definitions. These are often restricted to misguided portrayals that equate IP only with the direct career accomplishments or educational standings of an individual. Moreover, these portrayals seldom recognize a few particular intrinsic characteristics synonymous with this phenomenon. They fail to render a complete picture, and in doing so, they help fuel some of the not-so-helpful “just shake it off, and you’ll feel better” narratives surrounding IP. By having a clearer understanding of the the phenomenon, one can make choises about how to approach treatment and self care. Hence, I am providing a link below of an article in “The Therapist” by Stevon Lewis (2022) that will aid in better understanding the Imposter Phenomenon from a fresh perspective

https://www.camft.org/Resources/Read-The-Therapist/The-Therapist-March-April-2022  

The Roots of Imposter Phenomenon

To comprehend the imposter phenomenon (IP), one must delve into the theories that try to understand its roots. Numerous psychological models and theories have been put forth to explain why some individuals feel like imposters, even when they are successful and proficient. IP might be a result of family dynamics, a product of cultural conditions, or an unfortunate personal quirk. The following theories would have us see it in one light or another. In the end, they all may be on to something. After all, no theory seems able to account for all cases of IP.

A widely held theory posits that impostor phenomenon arises from certain family dynamics and early life situations (attachment styles). High parental expectations and too much emphasis on achievement combined with a low level of emotional support can be a recipe for developing IP (Alvarado, 2015).

Being reared in an environment where errors are met with severe disapproval can lead a child to feel as though they are inadequate and worthless, even in the presence of accomplishments. This kind of upbringing fosters a feeling that one just doesn’t measure up while also instilling a fear of being unmasked as a phony. These are the twin pillars of what psychologists call the imposter phenomenon.

An important aspect of research into the imposter phenomenon concerns the effect of societal and cultural demands and expectations. It seems that societal types can intensify accomplishment-related negative feelings that lead to IP. When individuals from marginalized groups achieve something, the first question often is: “How did they get that?” rather than assuming it was an outcome of their talent and hard work (Wei et al., 2020). Research in this area suggests that women and minorities are particularly susceptible to experiencing IP because it seems our culture is full of not-so-subtle messages implying we certainly can’t really be that smart, successful, and competent, especially in certain male-dominated or elite domains (Harvey & Katz, 1985).

The intricacies of the imposter phenomenon come into clearer focus when individual psychological factors are viewed in conjunction with the monetary and social capital that competence buys in our culture. Theories that bind these levels together help us understand the interventions that might help individuals whose mental health is compromised by the adverse effects of IP.

Quantifying the Impostor

Imposter phenomenon isn’t something that a few people here and there have; it’s something that affects whole groups of people across different fields and disciplines. When we research who has it and where it pops up, we find a ton of numbers that indicate this is a very common experience, psychologically speaking, for many of us. One study asserts that approximately 70% of the population will experience IP in their lifetime (Sakulku & Alexander, 2011). A more recent literature review concluded that the means of recruiting participants to evaluate levels of IP influences the results, and found a wide range of individuals with IP feelings from 9% – 82% (Bravata et al., 2020).

Research indicates that the Imposter Phenomenon (IP) impacts individuals of all success levels and varied demographic backgrounds . This part of the article will explore the plentiful evidence showing how widely IP is distributed. We will highlight the experience of IP in student and professional populations and delve into gendered experiences of IP.

Current research into the occurrence of imposter phenomenon (IP) shows some intriguing developments among various demographics. One of these is among U.S. college students (Cisco, 2020). A sizable number report feeling like “frauds” at some time during their academic career, no matter how well they perform or how much external affirmation they receive.

The world of professionals doesn’t escape this either—numerous surveys attest to a healthy number of employees across various fields who report feeling types of things that go by the name of “imposter syndrome (Fields et al., 2021).” These feelings aren’t just confined to early-career or mid-career types; we also find a good number of people in senior and leadership roles who feel like they are living “imposter” lives.

According to a recent study that focused on reconceptualizing the IP for people of color, research on the IP has not taken to account the implications of racial discrimination and how the IP may be increased due to our societal biases and lack of inclusion (Cokley, 2024). The prevalence of the IP among people of color varies between articles, especially now that components of the IP are being looked at as unaddressed. A new article that provides more information on the demographics and prevalence of the IP among people of color will be added once I gather more data on this important topic. 

Another aspect of understanding the prevalence of the imposter phenomenon (IP) is its distribution across genders. While early research indicated that women might be more likely to experience IP (Clance & Imes, 1978),  more recent studies have come out indicating that almost as many men as women experience the phenomenon (Bravata et al., 2020). This suggests that gender might not play as significant a role in the experience of IP as earlier thought.

Still, how people pick up on and deal with these emotions can be swayed by cultural expectations and societal norms. These aspects of life can, in turn, supercharge the experience by embedding it within gender stereotypes.

These figures really drive home the notion that impostorism should not be seen as something that a few people experience in isolation. Certainty that many individuals share this feeling can only help in the development of interventions and support systems. Those who are not imposters are certainly in a position to help those who are.

Unpacking the Impact

The Impostor Phenomenon (IP) reaches into many parts of an individual’s work life and emotional well-being. It touches on mental health; studies have found that people with IP are significantly more likely to have serious mental health conditions like depression (Cokley et al., 2013), anxiety (Ferrari & Thompson, 2006), and even suicidal ideation (with severe depression) (Cokley et al., 2013). It also finds its way into emotional regulation; people with IP experience much higher levels of stress and have more difficulty handling work assignments and situations in which their authority or knowledge is questioned.

The never-ending fear of being discovered as a fraud can take a severe emotional toll, no matter how many obvious successes or competencies one possesses. Whether by design or default, many of us have internalized the message that we aren’t truly worthy or qualified. This condition isn’t just a personal problem; it can ripple outwards and affect all of our relationships, including those with our colleagues and friends.

In the work environment, IP can appear in ways that harm overall productivity and the unity of teams.

• Do not shy away from difficult assignments because of a fear of failure or being shown up. If you do, you will curtail your growth and limit your contributions to team goals.
• Aspiring perfectionism, they set standards for themselves and possibly for others that are unrealistically high. Positively interpreted, striving for excellence may be what makes many IPs stand out. Yet it is perfectionism that often leads to IPs’ burnout and dissatisfaction with their work.
• They find it hard to take compliments or realize when they’ve achieved something. This can lead to a reduced sense of belonging or commitment to the team.

Additionally, the effects of the imposter phenomenon reach far beyond individuals, affecting the workings of teams and even entire organizations. Team members who feel like frauds may be less inclined to take creative risks, express themselves fully, or engage in the sorts of self-revealing behaviors that help build trust.

That’s a bad mix for any team—for innovation, for basic communication, and for the kind of open and honest feedback that all teams need to function effectively. Even worse, when leaders are afflicted with IP, their teams may pay the price through unrealistic demands and an absence of the sorts of nurturing behaviors that healthy teams need.

In dealing with the IP in the workplace, it’s vital to create an environment where people feel comfortable talking about failures without fear of judgment. It’s just about as judgment-free as you can get when you talk about your flops with friends or in therapy. We all have them; we just don’t always share that part. Not perceiving oneself as a fraud when you are truly not one is about maintaining a culture where achievements are recognized and attributed to the right sources, i.e., you and me, for our sustained efforts and abilities.

It is vitally important, both for the welfare of individuals and for the success of organizations, to grasp the influence of the imposter phenomenon. This complex and far-reaching condition demands our attention and understanding because it leads individuals not to value themselves, which in turn causes them to lead and work in ways that ultimately undermine the well-being and success of the organizations that employ or enroll them.

The Role of Culture and Environment in IP

Exploring how culture and environment shape the Imposter Phenomenon (IP) adds depth to our understanding of why particular individuals are prone to experiencing IP and why some people are more susceptible than others. Research shows that the potent combination of cultural, familial, and academic environments influences individuals to embrace or toss aside the familiar feelings associated with IP (Kohli, 2023).

The definition of success and failure differs from society to society, and the weight placed on achievement and ability varies, too. This affects how many people feel like imposters and how intense those feelings are. Cultures that honor individual achievement over group success can make it feel like life and death when you miss a deadline or something doesn’t turn out quite right. That’s just a couple of ways that society gets inside your head.

Emerging patterns indicate that the dynamics of family life have a significant effect on the likelihood of children falling prey to the imposter phenomenon (Alvarado, 2015). It seems that the parenting styles of mothers and fathers are determinative. When parents are overly critical or protective, they can set up a situation where the child feels pushed toward an unrealistically high level of achievement or pulled away from the possibility of failure. Either way, the child grows up in a setting where making any mistakes is transformed into a sure sign of being not good enough.

This is intensified in schools, which tend to prize results over effort, making students feel that they must constantly achieve more to be deemed worthy. The platforms we use do not help matters any by showcasing idealized versions of success and productivity. These are what we compare ourselves to when we’re not busy comparing our work to someone else’s. And in the end, we wind up feeling like frauds.

Furthermore, societal stereotypes associated with gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status have a powerful impact on individuals.

Studies have shown:

• In professions dominated by men, women frequently may feel they’re not quite up to par and might even think of themselves as “impostors,” a phenomenon linked to long-standing gender stereotypes that cast doubt on their abilities (Harvey & Katz, 1985).
• People from underrepresented groups may have extra internal pressure to figure out whether their accomplishments are really earned or just the result of affirmative action (Le, 2019).
• IP might be something that first-gen students or professionals find to be intense and tricky because they lack a familiar roadmap for navigating professional or academic spaces that have not been represented by their immediate community (Lutwak, 1998).

The acknowledgment of cultural and environmental influences is crucial to addressing the imposter phenomenon effectively. These influences must be understood to accurately tailor our interventions to the specific areas leading to imposter feelings for different populations. There is a need for strategies that go beyond individual coping mechanisms and target systemic change in workplaces and educational institutions. We need to target the kind of societal norms that allow a nurturing and fully supportive environment for all kinds of diverse achievement, without any reservations about one’s belonging or one’s right to enjoy the fruits of one’s labor and love.

Breaking the Cycle

Trying to escape the imposter phenomenon (IP) has forced many of us to look for ways to understand and cope with the conditions that make it a part of our lives. Some of us have turned to the work of psychologists and other social scientists who have tried to identify inroads into the feelings of fraudulence and inadequacy that seem to define many of our existences.

Cognitive-behavioral techniques are effective in addressing the impostor phenomenon (Bravata et al., 2020; Chand et al., 1989). Many studies have shown that cognitive-behavioral therapy can help people with IP recognize the distorted beliefs they hold about their abilities and success. Indeed, most people are at least somewhat “impostors,” with distorted thoughts that give rise to anxieties about whether one is qualified, intelligent, or successful.

In addition, mentoring has emerged as a key strategy in helping people sort out their experiences with feeling like a fraud. In these programs, less experienced individuals are matched with mentors who are more experienced, and who have themselves, at some point, overcome feeling like a fraud. They are conversant in the issue and able to relate to why a mentee might feel the way they do.

Studies show that having a mentor can alleviate the loneliness those with imposter syndrome feel mentorship (Faulkner, 2015). A mentor helps you feel like you belong and gives you the encouragement you need to keep going. The mentor-mentee relationship is sort of like the “Imposter Syndrome” in reverse. You’re not an imposter if you have someone like you explaining that you are not a fraud!

The imposter phenomenon (IP) is also being tackled by workshops and support groups. These platforms serve to give really good information about IP and help people understand that they are not alone in what they are experiencing. Even though these groups are not therapy, they certainly create a space where you can feel comfortable talking about your “so-called” successes or failures.

What we know from the research indicates that these group sessions do affect imposter phenomenon symptom reduction, if not aid in complete elimination (Pervez et al., 2021). They lead to participants being a little gentler with themselves, as they’re reminded that even high-achieving individuals have fears and worries about their success and worthiness. Following that line of reasoning, and based on what we’ve already laid out above, the keys to overcoming the phenomenon seem to be cognitive and corrective.

Future Directions in IP Research

The Imposter Phenomenon (IP) is more common than many believe, and its effect is far-reaching. It can cause intense feelings of self-doubt, low confidence, and guilt, which often lead to a negative impact on one’s mental health, work, and relationships. Many of those who are “imposters” go through life feeling as if they do not truly deserve what they have earned, and they are constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. In future considerations of IP, it might be beneficial to look at its correlates, contexts, and consequences, as well as what populations are being affected.

Longitudinal Studies on IP

Longitudinal studies that follow individuals over time and observe the long-term effects of IP are vitally important in this context. Such research could illuminate the life stage at which IP typically emerges. It could also help us grasp how certain features of IP bear on a person’s ability to navigate the varied environments and encounters life presents across the lifespan.

The studies would focus on whether and how the feelings related to the imposter phenomenon change or remain constant when individuals undergo major life shifts, such as moving from school to work, attaining notable new achievements in their professions, or retiring. They might also probe the long-term effectiveness of various counseling, coaching, and educational strategies that are used (often right after a triggering event) to make these individuals feel less like imposters.

Interdisciplinary Approaches to Studying IP

The next research direction that holds promise is the adoption of an interdisciplinary approach. Future studies might work from an insight base that combines psychology with knowledge from sociology, neuroscience, and education, along with organizational behavior. Together, these fields offer a more integrated, holistic understanding of IP.

For example, clues related to brain patterns or reactions linked to feelings of fraudulence might be provided by neuroscience. Or, sociology might help us understand how the norms and values of the society in which we live shape our interpersonal experiences. In any case, it seems likely that a more rounded understanding of intellectual precarity could be achieved by integrating knowledge from several academic fields.

Conclusion

The imposter phenomenon (IP) is now understood much better than it was a decade or two ago, and this is thanks in large part to the impressive work of several scholars. These researchers have over the years unveiled the many different dimensions of the IP, and in doing so, they’ve made clear that this isn’t just a fleeting issue that comes and goes in the realm of clinical psychology.

These findings have extensive implications, suggesting that stakeholders at all levels—individuals, educators, employers, and mental health professionals—must coordinate and work together to counteract the adverse effects of impostor phenomenon. Creating a safe space for individuals experiencing imposter feelings can take the destigmatization of such feelings and allow for more conversations to happen.

Improved comprehension and enlightenment about the imposter phenomenon have opened the door to laser-focused countermeasures. Cognitive-behavioral therapies that force a reexamination of “I don’t belong here” thoughts are one good tactic. Another is the push for more transparency within organizations: not all successful people have it easy; in fact, many of us struggle and work hard to achieve our goals.

Long-term studies are needed to determine if these interventions are effective and to see how long their effects last. We also need to learn more about what makes some people able to withstand the pressure to be perfect in today’s high-demand work environments and what makes other people more vulnerable to this pressure. Finally, it will be important to look at the interaction between perfectionism and emerging trends in the workplace, such as working in isolation, since societal norms around productivity have a big influence on how we view our work.

When we think about the future directions of IP research, we see that an interdisciplinary approach could provide fresh perspectives on this phenomenon. When psychologists, educators, and sociologists collaborate with business leaders, for instance, they could develop innovative strategies that might alleviate both the individual and systemic factors that make people feel like impostors. This is a particularly urgent issue for people of color and individuals from low SES backgrounds, who face unique challenges to their self-efficacy and are often underemployed or unemployed despite their credentials. And while we’re at it, let’s also have a conversation about the ways that cultural identities intersect with the experience of feeling like an impostor.

Grasping these dynamics can enhance the precision of our interventions in diverse populations. This is crucial because the populations are varied—to ensure that our support mechanisms are accessible and relevant to those who need them, we must understand them better. Despite being a pretty normal experience, what we call “imposter syndrome” can have severe negative impacts on mental health, productivity, and career advancement.

References:

• Alvarado, C. (2015). I’m not all that: a look at the imposter phenomenon in intimate relationships. EWU Digital Commons. https://dc.ewu/theses/277/ 
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