Impostor phenomenon was first described by Clance and Imes in 1978 as the disbelief of own person’s capacities and skills in overachieving women. Since then, studies have focused on causes and characteristics of such self-perception. This negative thought impedes professionals to achieve full potential of their abilities, triggering a series of unpleasant reactions like anxiety or poor patient outcome. This concept analysis aims to provide better understanding of the impostor phenomenon and its impact on the nursing profession. Further it may raise awareness to help promote interventions oriented toward overcoming feelings of fraudulence that help in achieving the full potential of individuals’ skills.
CastroD.JonesR.MirsalimiH. (2004). Parentification and the impostor phenomenon: An empirical investigation. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 32(3), 205-216. https://doi.org/10.1080/01926180490425676
5.
ChrismanS.PieperW.ClanceP.HollandC.Glickauf-HughesC. (1995). Validation of the Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 65(3), 456-467. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa6503_6
6.
ClanceP. R. (1985). The imposter phenomenon. Peachtree.
7.
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
8.
ClanceP. R.O’TooleM. A. (1988). Impostor phenomenon: An internal barrier to empowerment and achievement. Women and Therapy, 6(3), 51-64. https://doi.org/10.1300/J015V06N03_05
EdwardsP.ZeichnerA.LawlerN.KowalskiR. (1987). A validation study of the Harvey Impostor Phenomenon Scale. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 24(2), 256-259. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0085712
HaneyT. S.BirkholzL.RutledgeC. (2018). A workshop for addressing the impact of the imposter syndrome on clinical nurse specialists. Clinical Nurse Specialist, 32(4), 189-194. https://doi.org/10.1097/nur.0000000000000386
14.
HarveyJ. C. (1982). The impostor phenomenon and achievement: A failure to internalize success. Dissertation Abstracts International, 42(12-B, Pt. 1), 4969-4970.
15.
HenningK.EyS.ShawD. (1998). Perfectionism, the impostor phenomenon and psychological adjustment in medical, dental, nursing and pharmacy students. Medical Education, 32(5), 456-464. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2923.1998.00234.x
16.
ImesS. A.ClanceP. R. (1984). Treatment of the impostor phenomenon in high achieving women. In BrodyC. (Ed.), Women working with women (pp. 75-88). Snapfinger Publishing.
17.
JöstlG.BergsmannE.LüfteneggerM.SchoberB.SpielC. (2012). When will they blow my cover? The impostor phenomenon among Austrian doctoral students. Zeitschrift Für Psychologie/Journal of Psychology,220(2),109-120. https://doi.org/10.1027/2151-2604/a000102
18.
KolligianJ.SternbergR. J. (1991). Perceived fraudulence in young adults: Is there an impostor syndrome?Journal of Personality Assessment,56(2), 308-326. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa5602_10
19.
LeachP. K.NygaardR. M.ChipmanJ. G.BrunsvoldM. E.MarekA. P. (2018). Impostor phenomenon and burnout in general surgeons and general surgery residents. Journal of Surgical Education,76(1), 99-106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsurg.2018.06.025
20.
LearyM. R.PattonK.OrlandoA.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
MillerD. L.SawatzkyA. V. (2017). Test anxiety in the nursing skills laboratory: A concept analysis. Nursing Forum, 52(4), 331-338. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12197
23.
Peternelj-TaylorC. (2011). Is impostor syndrome getting in the way of writing for the Journal of Forensic Nursing?Journal of Forensic Nursing, 7(2), 57-59. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-3938.2011.01099.x
24.
RohrmannS.BechtoldtM. N.LeonhardtM. (2016). Validation of the impostor phenomenon among managers. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 821. https://doi.org/10.3389%2Ffpsyg.2016.00821
25.
RossS. R.StewartJ.MuggeM.FultzB. (2001). The imposter phenomenon, achievement dispositions, and the five-factor model. Personality and Individual Differences, 31(8), 1347-1355. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(00)00228-2
26.
SchillerC. J. (2018). Teaching concept analysis to graduate nursing students. Nursing Forum, 53(2), 248-254. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12233
27.
SeritanA. L.MehtaM. M. (2015). Thorny Laurels: The impostor phenomenon in academic psychiatry. Academic Psychiatry, 40(3), 418-421. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-015-0392-z
28.
SonnakC.TowellT. (2001). The impostor phenomenon in British university students: Relationships between self-esteem, mental health, parental rearing style and socioeconomic status. Personality and Individual Differences,31(6), 863-874. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(00)00184-7
29.
SteinbergJ. A. (1986). Clinical interventions with women experiencing the impostor phenomenon. Women & Therapy, 5(4), 19-26. https://doi.org/10.1300/J015V05N04_04
30.
WalkerL.AvantK. (2005). Strategies for theory construction in nursing (4th ed.). Pearson/Prentice Hall.
