Imposter Phenomenon (IP) is feelings of inadequacy and inauthenticity in settings where achievement is emphasized and valued. This exploratory study employs a survey to investigate the prevalence and underlying factors of IP among Master of Public Administration (MPA) students at seven US universities with varying institutional characteristics. The results show that over 1 in 10 MPA students report experiencing IP and feeling excluded by their peers and faculty. Our findings show that feelings of belongingness are negatively associated with experiences of IP. These findings contribute to the growing scholarship that emphasizes the role of oppressive systems in feelings of belonging and inadequacy. This article offers insight to better support MPA students in navigating their studies in the context of oppressive social systems. By understanding IP’s dynamics and the role of belonging in the context of PA education, this study hopes to foster a more inclusive academic environment.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AddisonM.BreezeM., & TaylorY. (Eds.). (2022). The Palgrave handbook of imposter syndrome in higher education. Springer Nature.
2.
AndrewsN. (2020). It’s not imposter syndrome: Resisting self-doubt as normal for library workers. Gleeson Library Faculty & Staff Research & Scholarship, 41.
3.
BadawyR. L.GazdagB. A.BentleyJ. R., & BrouerR. L. (2018). Are all impostors created equal? Exploring gender differences in the impostor phenomenon-performance link. Personality & Individual Differences, 131, 156–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2018.04.044
4.
Berry-JamesR. M.BlessettB.EmasR.McCandlessS.NickelsA. E.Norman-MajorK., & VinzantP. (2021). Stepping up to the plate: Making social equity a priority in public administration’s troubled times. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 27(1), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2020.1820289
5.
BlairB. L.SlagleD. R., & WilliamsA. M. (2022). Institutional and programmatic determinants for graduate public affairs’ online education: Assessing the influence of faculty workload. Teaching Public Administration, 40(2), 181–198. https://doi.org/10.1177/01447394211017326
6.
BravataD. M.WattsS. A.KeeferA. L.MadhusudhanD. K.TaylorK. T.ClarkD. M. & HaggH. K. (2020). Prevalence, predictors, and treatment of impostor syndrome: A systematic review. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 35(4), 1252–1275. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-019-05364-1
7.
BrewerM. B. (2010). Optimal distinctiveness theory. Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology, 2, 63–113.
8.
BrownB. (2019). Braving the wilderness: The quest for true belonging and the courage to stand alone (Reprint ed.). Random House Trade Paperbacks.
9.
ByrnesK. D., & LesterD. (1995). The imposter phenomenon in teachers and accountants. Psychological Reports, 77(1), 350–350. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1995.77.1.350
10.
ChordiyaR.DolamoreS.LoveJ. M.BorryE. L.ProtonentisA.SternB., & WhitebreadG. (2023). Staking the tent at the margins: Using disability justice to expand the theory and praxis of social equity in public administration. Administrative Theory & Praxis.
11.
ChordiyaR., & ProtonentisA. (2024). Healing from intersectional white supremacy culture and ableism: Disability justice as an antidote. Journal of Social Equity and Public Administration, 2(1), Article 1. 127–152. https://doi.org/10.24926/jsepa.v2i1.4856
12.
ChuaM.De MeulderM.GeerL.HennerJ.HouL.KubusO.O’BrienD., & RobinsonO. (2022). 1001 small victories: Deaf academics and imposter syndrome. In AddisonM.BreezeM., & TaylorY. (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of imposter syndrome in higher education (pp. 481–496). Springer Nature.
13.
ClanceP. R. (1985). The impostor phenomenon: Overcoming the fear that haunts your success. Peachtree.
14.
ClanceP. R., & ImesS. A. (1978). The imposter phenomenon in high achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 15(3), 241–247. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0086006
15.
ClanceP. R., & OTooleM. A. (1987). The imposter phenomenon: An internal barrier to empowerment and achievement. Women & Therapy, 6(3), 51–64. https://doi.org/10.1300/J015V06N03_05
16.
CokleyK.SmithL.BernardD.HurstA.JacksonS.StoneS.AwosogbaO.SaucerC.BaileyM., & RobertsD. (2017). Impostor feelings as a moderator and mediator of the relationship between perceived discrimination and mental health among racial/ethnic minority college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 64(2), 141–154. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000198
17.
Cope-WatsonG., & BettsA. S. (2010). Confronting otherness: An e- conversation between doctoral students living with the imposter syndrome. Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education/Revue canadienne des jeunes chercheures et chercheurs en éducation, 3(1), 1–13.
18.
CowmanS. E., & FerrariJ. R. (2002). “Am I for real?” predicting impostor tendencies from self-handicapping and affective components. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 30(2), 119–125. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2002.30.2.119
19.
CreswellJ. W., & CreswellJ. D. (Eds.). (2009). Research design: Qualitative. In Quantitative, and mixed methods. Sage Publications.
20.
CusackC. E.HughesJ. L., & NuhuN. (2013). Connecting gender and mental health to imposter phenomenon feelings. Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research, 18(2), 74–81. https://doi.org/10.24839/2164-8204.JN18.2.74
21.
EdmondsonA. C. (2018). The fearless organization: Creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation, and growth (1st ed.). Wiley.
22.
FerrariJ. R., & ThompsonT. (2006). Impostor fears: Links with self-presentational concerns and self-handicapping behaviours. Personality & Individual Differences, 40(2), 341–352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2005.07.012
23.
FleischhauerM.WossidloJ.MichaelL., & EngeS. (2021). The impostor phenomenon: Toward a better understanding of the nomological network and gender differences. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 764030. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.764030
24.
FredericksonG. H. (2010). Social equity and public administration: Origins, developments, and applications. M.E. Sharp.
25.
GadsbyS. (2022). Imposter syndrome and self-deception. Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 100(2), 247–261. https://doi.org/10.1080/00048402.2021.1874445
26.
GoodenowC. (1993). Classroom belonging among early adolescent students: Relationships to motivation and achievement. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 13(1), 21–43. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431693013001002
27.
GuyM. E., & McCandlessS. A. (2012). Social equity: Its legacy, its promise. Public Administration Review, 72(s1), S5–S13.
28.
HarroB. (2018). The cycle of socialization. In B. Harm & A. Marianne (Eds.), Readings for diversity and social justice (4th ed., pp. 627–634). Routledge.
29.
HarveyJ. C. (1981). The impostor phenomenon and achievement: A failure to internalize success [Ph.D.,Temple University].
30.
HarveyJ. C., & KatzC. (1985). If I’m so successful why do I feel like a fake: The impostor phenomenon (1st ed.). St Martin’s Press.
31.
HewestsonH., & TissaF. (2022). Intersectional imposter syndrome: How imposterism affects marginalized groups. In AddisonM.BreezeM., & TaylorY. (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of imposter syndrome in higher education (pp. 19–37). Springer Nature.
32.
HoldenC. L.WrightL. E.HerringA. M., & SimsP. L. (2021). Imposter syndrome among first- and continuing-generation college students: The roles of perfectionism and stress. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 152102512110193(4), 726–740. https://doi.org/10.1177/15210251211019379
33.
IvieR., & EphraimA. (2009). Mentoring and the imposter syndrome in astronomy graduate students. Meeting the Challenges of an Increasingly Diverse Workforce, 25–33.
34.
KolligianJ., & SternbergR. J. (1991). Perceived fraudulence in young adults: Is there an “imposter syndrome”?Journal of Personality Assessment, 56(2), 308–326. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa5602_10
35.
LangfordJ., & ClanceP. R. (1993). The imposter phenomenon: Recent research findings regarding dynamics, personality and family patterns and their implications for treatment. Psychotherapy Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 30(3), 495. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-3204.30.3.495
36.
LeL. (2019). Unpacking the imposter syndrome and mental health as a person of color first generation college Student within institutions of higher education. McNair Research Journal SJSU, 15. https://doi.org/10.31979/mrj.2019.1505
37.
LearyM. R.PattonK. M.OrlandoA. E.FunkW. W.LearyM. R.PattonK. M.OrlandoA. E., & FunkW. W. (2000). The impostor phenomenon: Self-perceptions, reflected appraisals, and interpersonal strategies. Journal of Personality, 68(4), 725–756. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6494.00114
38.
MakK. K.KleitmanS., & AbbottM. J. (2019). Impostor phenomenon measurement scales: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 671.
39.
NembhardI. M., & EdmondsonA. C. (2006). Making it safe: The effects of Leader inclusiveness and professional status on psychological safety and improvement efforts in health care teams. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 27(7), 941–966. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.413
OwensT. J. (1994). Two dimensions of self-esteem: Reciprocal effects of positive self-worth and self-deprecation on adolescent problems. American Sociological Review, 59(3), 391–407. https://doi.org/10.2307/2095940
42.
PannhausenS.KlugK., & RohrmannS. (2020). Never good enough: The relation between the impostor phenomenon and multidimensional perfectionism. Current Psychology, 41(2), 888–901. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00613-7
43.
ParkmanA. (2016). The imposter phenomenon in higher education: Incidence and impact. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 16(1), 51–60.
44.
RossS. R., & KrukowskiR. A. (2003). The imposter phenomenon and maladaptive personality: Type and trait characteristics. Personality & Individual Differences, 34(3), 477–484. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(02)00067-3
45.
RossS. R.StewartJ.MuggeM., & FultzB. (2001). The imposter phenomenon, achievement dispositions, and the five factor model. Personality & Individual Differences, 31(8), 1347–1355. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(00)00228-2
46.
SakulkuJ., & AlexanderJ. (2011). The imposter phenomenon. International Journal of Behavioral Science, 6(1), 75–97. https://doi.org/10.14456/IJBS.2011.6
ShieldsP. M., & EliasN. M. (Eds.). (2022). Handbook on gender and public administration. Edward Elgar Publishing.
49.
Shill-RussellC.RussellR. C.DainesB.ClementG.CarlsonJ.ZapataI., & HendersonM. (2022). Imposter syndrome relation to gender across osteopathic medical schools. Medical Science Educator, 32(1), 157–163. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-021-01489-3
50.
ShoreL. M., & ChungB. G. (2022). Inclusive leadership: How leaders sustain or discourage work group inclusion. Group & Organization Management, 47(4), 723–754. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601121999580
51.
ShoreL. M.ClevelandJ. N., & SanchezD. (2018). Inclusive workplaces: A review and model. Human Resource Management Review, 28(2), 176–189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2017.07.003
52.
ShoreL. M.RandelA. E.ChungB. G.DeanM. A.Holcombe EhrhartK., & SinghG. (2011). Inclusion and diversity in work groups: A review and Model for future research. Journal of Management, 37(4), 1262–1289. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206310385943
53.
SpeerS. A. (2019). Reconsidering self‐deprecation as a communication practice. British Journal of Social Psychology, 58(4), 806–828. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12329
54.
StarkeA. M.HecklerN., & MackeyJ. (2018). Administrative racism: Public administration education and race. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 24(4), 469–489. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2018.1426428
55.
StephensJ. B., & MorseR. S. (2023). Enhancing sense of belonging and satisfaction among online students in multi-track public affairs programs: A case analysis of immersion courses. Teaching Public Administration, 41(2), 266–283. https://doi.org/10.1177/01447394221076344
56.
StoutM., & LoveJ. M. (2021). Competing ontologies: A redux primer for public administration. The American Review of Public Administration, 51(6), 422–435. https://doi.org/10.1177/02750740211005047
57.
StoutM., & LoveJ. M. (2021). Competing ontologies: A redux primer for public administration. The American Review of Public Administration, 51(6), 422–435.
58.
TulshyanR., & BureyJ.-A. (2021, February11). Stop telling women they have imposter syndrome. Harvard Business Review, 11, 1–7.
59.
VaughnA. R.TaasoobshiraziG., & JohnsonM. L. (2020). Impostor phenomenon and motivation: Women in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 45(4), 780–795. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1568976
60.
WeirK. (2013). Feel like a fraud. Grad Psych Magazine, 11(4), 24.
61.
WilliamsR., & AngelK. (2021a). Belonging: From fear to freedom on the path to true community (unabridged edition). Sounds True.
