Experiencing the Imposter Phenomenon
Successful but Feeling Like a Fraud?
Consider the plight of the overachiever: After studying for many hours for an exam, she receives the top score in the class. What does this recognition mean? For some students, this success is threatening: did I outperform my peers because I am smarter than them, or merely because I studied harder? This over-preparation fuels students’ imposter doubts about their abilities to repeat quality performance in the future. “What if I only studied for half of the time?” and “I’m not smart, I just work hard” are commonly heard phrases from individuals experiencing the imposter phenomenon.
Overall, people have a tendency to view themselves more favorably than is accurate. Humans tend to claim responsibility for success and blame external factors for failure, in what psychologists term the “self-serving bias.” Yet among those who have objective successes on their résumé and in their personal history, a portion of these individuals present themselves as reluctant to gain praise for their achievements. Secretly, these high achieving individuals are worried that others will expose them as frauds and find out that they are not really as intelligent, competent, or successful as others seem to think.
The Imposter Phenomenon
Psychologists Clance and Imes first wrote of this imposter phenomenon in 1978, identifying a trend among successful women participating in psychotherapy. They found that a subset of objectively successful individuals had difficulty internalizing their successes – meaning that these individuals experiencing the imposter phenomenon do not feel good about themselves after positive rewards. These so-called ‘imposters’ often go to great lengths to discredit people who praise them, and explain away positive feedback.
Feelings of fraud and self-doubt present a problem for self-presentation as well. How do ‘imposters’ characterize their performance to others? In the Journal of Personality, social psychologist Mark Leary and colleagues write that presenting oneself positively can be threatening, as a future failure might allow others to perceive the ‘imposter’ as “not only incompetent, but manipulative, boastful, or deluded as well.” As a result, individuals experiencing the imposter phenomenon underplay their achievements even below their own self-concept. According to Leary and colleagues, this can provide several benefits to individuals who perceive themselves as imposters or frauds.
Social Benefits to Imposters
Minimizing one’s self-worth and accomplishments can reduce others’ expectations (and make subsequent successes more impressive) and protect the self-concept from expected future failures. The imposter phenomenon also yields interpersonal benefits, as the ‘imposter’ often receives positive social interactions as a result of their negative self-view. Modesty is a virtue, as common wisdom suggests and social psychological research confirms, and expressing self-doubt often results in communal, supportive comments from others who try to boost the imposter’s self-esteem.
Further Reading
Ferrari, J. R. (2005). Imposter phenomenon and academic dishonesty: Do they cheat their way to success? Social Behavior and Personality, 33, 11-18
Leary, M. R., Patton, K. M., Orlando, A. E., & Wagoner Funk, W. (2000). The impostor phenomenon:
Self-perceptions, reflected appraisals, and interpersonal strategies. Journal of Personality, 68,
725-756.
Topping, M. E., & Kimmel, E. B. (1985). The impostor phenomenon: Feeling phony. Academic213-226.
Psychology Bulletin, 7,
Thompson, T., Foreman, P., & Martin, F. (2000). Impostor fears and perfectionistic concern over
mistakes. Personality and Individual Differences, 29, 629-647.
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