Doctoral Students and the Impostor Phenomenon: Am I Smart Enough to Be Here?

Craddock, Sarah; Birnbaum, Matthew; Rodriguez, Katrina L.; Cobb, Christopher; Zeeh, Steven

doi:10.2202/1949-6605.6321

Cited by 61 publications

(60 citation statements)

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“…The impostor phenomenon is negatively correlated with research self-efficacy, SGPE 10,1 making it a psychological barrier (Jöstl et al, 2015). Those who feel like impostors also experience inadequacy and lack of academic preparedness (Craddock et al, 2011).…”

Section: Impostor Phenomenon Prior To Graduate Schoolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impostor phenomenon in STEM: occurrence, attribution, and identity

Chakraverty

2019

SGPE

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Purpose-This study aims to explore different themes related to impostor phenomenon, as experienced by graduate students and postdocs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Design/methodology/approach-Open-ended survey responses from 120 US-based participants from 40 states and Washington, D.C., describing an occasion when they felt like an impostor, were analyzed thematically. Findings-Following content analysis, three themes emerged: occurrence, attribution and identity. While impostor-like feelings were experienced as early as high school or college, the majority experienced it during PhD application, on being admitted to a PhD program and throughout PhD training. The people experiencing impostor phenomenon attributed their achievements and success to others (other's name, prestige, or connections, other's mistake, other's lies or misrepresentation, or other's kindness) or self (self-inadequacy, pretense, luck or self-doubt) rather than their own hard work or ability. Gender-based and race/ethnicitybased identity also shaped the experiences of the impostor phenomenon. Research limitations/implications-Open-ended survey responses varied in length and level of detail. Responses provided a one-time snapshot of a memory related to impostor-feelings that stood out, not indicating if the feeling persisted or evolved with time. The findings are not generalizable over a larger population. Originality/value-This study identified multiple themes related to the impostor phenomenon not investigated before, enriching existing research while also providing methodological rigor for the development of follow-up studies.

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Section: Impostor Phenomenon Prior To Graduate Schoolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impostor phenomenon in STEM: occurrence, attribution, and identity

Chakraverty

2019

SGPE

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“…When he might be expected to lead or respond with King energies (organization and leadership), he only vacillates and humbly follows. Along the journey to Oz, the Cowardly Lion provides some insights into imposter syndrome; the sense of being found out as deceptive and lacking in some way, which is one of more studied aspects of doctoral education (Craddock, Birnbaum, Rodriguez, Cobb, & Zeeh, 2011;Foot, Crowe, Tollafield, & Allan, 2014;Murakami-Ramalho et al, 2008) and consistent with the monomyth (Campbell, 2008). The Wizard later counsels the Lion to organize his thinking, to not confuse courage with wisdom, and to lead by example.…”

Section: The Warriormentioning

confidence: 99%

An Archetypal Analysis of Doctoral Education as a Heroic Journey

Salter

2019

IJDS

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Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this conceptual paper is to align key aspects of the heroic journey archetype with existing research and writing about doctoral students, thereby extending previous discussions of this topic. Background: While obtaining a doctoral degree is often described as a heroic journey, that assertion has not been fully explored from a depth psychology standpoint. Because myth is a form of pedagogy, key heroic archetypes (Pearson, 1986; 1991) provide a means to describe and understand the student experience. Methodology: This synthesis of the scholarship on doctoral education is framed within an alignment of the heroic journey monomyth described by Campbell (2008) to the progression of doctoral student experiences (Gardner, 2009). Various movie characters are used to illustrate the three primary stages of the heroic journey: the departure, initiation, and the return. Contribution: Consistent with other applications of archetypal psychology to education (e.g., Mayes, 2010), the paper presents a way for faculty and students to understand and reflect on the overall educational process. Findings: A more elaborated view of the doctoral journey is provided, including the sequence of challenges faced by students in the process and the types of Hero energies expressed at different points. Recommendations for Practitioners: The responsibilities of doctoral program faculty to create an experience that helps assure success and to mentor students appropriately are reinforced. Recommendation for Researchers: While not a research study, the discussion in this conceptual paper provides a broader context for use of the monomyth as an organizing framework for studies of doctoral education. Impact on Society: The commonly recognized 50% success rate of the best-and-brightest in higher education speaks to the size and scope of the challenge and the resulting stresses from taking this journey. Based on the apparent congruency of the monomyth to the process of doctoral education, continued use of this archetype to address these challenges would seem to be indicated.

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“…Given that no particularly precise or standard definition exists, that it is not an officially recognised mental disorder, and that it has a relatively subjective and secretive nature, estimating the prevalence of impostor syndrome can prove challenging (Craddock et al, 2011). No normative data on the impostor syndrome in general populations exists, although based on their research in the 1980s, Harvey and Katz (1986) estimated that about 40 per cent of successful people consider themselves a fraud, irrespective of their gender.…”

Section: Impostor Syndrome: Theories Concepts and Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although the evidence available for clear gender differences on impostor experiences reported by survey scales remains decidedly mixed (Craddock et al, 2011;Kumar and Jagacinski, 2006), it is nonetheless entirely plausible that societal influences around gender, diversity, and high achievement do play some role in moderating impostor-like experiences.…”

Section: Impostor Syndrome: Theories Concepts and Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Impostor syndrome as a way of understanding gender and careers

Calvard¹

2018

Research Handbook of Diversity and Careers

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Doctoral Students and the Impostor Phenomenon: Am I Smart Enough to Be Here?

Cited by 61 publications

References 0 publications

Impostor phenomenon in STEM: occurrence, attribution, and identity

Impostor phenomenon in STEM: occurrence, attribution, and identity

An Archetypal Analysis of Doctoral Education as a Heroic Journey

Impostor syndrome as a way of understanding gender and careers

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