۱- Introduction

۲- Method

۳- Results

۴- Discussion

References

Abstract

The study investigates the links between maternal and paternal parenting styles and the imposter syndrome among adult female students, while probing the meditative role played by self-esteem in this context. The sample comprised 182 female students (Mage = 27.85, SD = 7.25) who completed the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), the Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). The results of the analyses of the regressions models using SEM revealed that parental care is associated with students’ lower imposter feelings via self-esteem, and paternal overprotection is associated with students’ higher imposter feelings via self-esteem. Hence, parental care and overprotection may be related to female students’ imposter feelings since they increase and decrease (respectively) their self-esteem which, in turn, affects their imposter feelings. The current study is among the first to demonstrate the mediation role played by self-esteem in the association in question separately for mothers and fathers, which contributes to facilitating the understanding of the etiology mechanism of the imposter phenomenon.

Introduction

Imposter phenomenon is a term coined by Clance and Imes (1978) to depict a steady tendency of individuals who consistently experience intellectual phoniness and hidden incompetence, contrary to their objective qualifications and actual accomplishments. Imposters cannot properly internalize their success. They feel as if they managed to fool everybody else into believing that they are very intelligent (Clance & Imes, 1978), and they may use measures to preserve this state (e.g., over diligence, intellectual inauthenticity, and charm). The most common imposter symptoms include reluctance to accept credit for accomplishments, feelings of self-doubt, and a tendency to attribute success to external causes (Clance, 1985; Robinson & Goodpaster, 1991). Individuals with imposter syndrome are constantly afraid that others will eventually unmask their fraudulence, to reveal they do not belong in their professional environment (Kolligian Jr & Sternberg, 1991; Wang, Sheveleva & Permyakova, 2019). This perpetual fear of being exposed takes its psychological toll on them, as imposter individuals tend to experience feelings of depression, stress, anxiety, and low self-esteem (Cusack, Hughes & Nuhu, 2013; Li, Hughes & Thu, 2014; Schubert & Bowker, 2017; Wang et al., 2019). Students and employees who cope with imposter feelings tend to experience heightened fear and anxiety over their performance (Cusack et al., 2013; Halbesleben, 2006). They spend a great deal of energy in unmasking their perceived inadequacy by overworking and using avoidance strategies, resulting in low occupational satisfaction, high emotional exhaustion, and a greater risk of burnout (Crawford, Shanine, Whitman & Kacmar, 2016; Hutchins, Penney & Sublett, 2018). According to Clance and Imes (1978), the imposter phenomenon is far more prevalent and intensely experienced amongst women, as its origins are predominantly rooted in a gender-based family dynamics. In this regard, the authors identified early family processes such as family comparison (e.g., between siblings) and parental expectations that could underlie subsequent imposter feelings especially among girls. Clance and her colleagues maintained that later in life impostor feelings are further reinforced amongst women, as they face society’s gender stereotypes, where assertiveness and accomplishments are more socially acceptable for men than for women (Clance & Imes, 1978; Clance, Dingman, Reviere & Strober, 1995).