The impostor phenomenon and achievement

1981

vi, 123 leaves

The impostor phenomenon--an intense, subjective experience of phoniness among certain high achievers--is first described from the related theoretical perspectives of self-monitoring, self-perception, attributional styles, self-esteem, and the reinforcing effects of situations. Next, the procedures used to develop and cross validate the I-P Scale--a substantially reliable, self-administered measure of the impostor phenomenon--are reported, along with evidence for its convergent and discriminant validity. As theoretically expected, a known groups procedure indicates a higher prevalence of the impostor phenomenon among high-achieving Honors students than among more typical students in the same fields of study. An extreme groups procedure indicates that Honors students in the high impostor phenomenon category attribute significantly more of their scholastic successes to their interpersonal assets that those in the low impostor phenomenon category--an attributional style consistent with previous theoretical formulations. Moreover, an examination of correlational patterns of the impostor phenomenon with both high self-monitoring and low self-esteem suggests a marginally significant, but substantially discriminable relationship to both these constructs. The capacity of situations to influence the impostor phenomenon is illustrated by the greater vulnerability of first year graduate students, in new and unfamiliar roles, when contrasted with more experienced graduate students, as well as with less experienced senior Honors students in the same areas of study. Finally, an investigation of previously hypothesized gender and race differences in the impostor phenomenon, using a nonstudent, career-oriented sample, suggests that past research may have confounded issues of gender and race with those of self-perceived atypicality.

Английский