The impostor syndrome, a phenomenon that manifests when people feel like frauds even if they are actually capable and well-qualified, affects people both in the workplace and in the classroom. A new study from researchers at BYU reveals that perceptions of impostorism are quite common and uncovers one of the best — and worst — ways to cope with such feelings.
Findings of the study, co-authored by BYU professors Jeff Bednar, Bryan Stewart, and James Oldroyd,revealed that 20 percent of the college students in their sample suffered from very strong feelings of impostorism. The researchers conducted interviews with students in an elite academic program to understand the various coping mechanisms students used to escape these feelings, but one particular method stood out above the rest: seeking social support from those outside their academic program.
The findings of their interview study suggest that if students “reached in” to other students within their major, they felt worse more often than they felt better. However, . . . .