Impostor Phenomenon, Social Support, and Growth Mindset in Graduate Students

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37226/rcp.v9i1.9591

Keywords:

impostor phenomenon, growth mindset, social support, Puerto Rico

Abstract

In academia, the term imposter phenomenon has been used to describe successful individuals who experience an internal sense of intellectual doubt, fear of failure, and denial of competence (Filarowska & Schier, 2018). Studies have found a prevalence of imposter feelings in 82% of the general population in the United States (Bravata et al., 2020). The study sought to expand the research by considering not only internal aspects of the individual but also external factors that may either enhance or diminish imposter feelings in individuals. The research aimed to explore and describe the relationship between the imposter phenomenon, growth mindset, and social support in graduate students. We examined whether the growth mindset moderated the relationship between social support and the imposter phenomenon. The sample of 99 participants showed that the interaction of variables was not significant (b = .07, p = .45), indicating that the growth mindset does not significantly moderate the relationship between social support and the imposter phenomenon in the sample under study. Furthermore, from the data obtained from the regressions performed, it can be inferred that the imposter phenomenon is independent of all other study variables.

Keywords: impostor phenomenon, growth mindset, social support, Puerto Rico

References

Beasy, K., Emery, S., & Crawford, J. (2021). Drowning in the shal-lows: an Australian study of the PhD experience of wellbeing. Teaching in Higher Education, 26(4), 602–618. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2019.1669014 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2019.1669014

Bernard, D. L., Lige, Q. M., Willis, H. A., Sosoo, E. E., & Neblett, E. W. (2017). Impostor phenomenon and mental health: The in-fluence of racial discrimination and gender. Journal of Counsel-ing Psychology, 64(2), 155–166. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000197 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000197

Bhagat, R. S., Segovis, J. C., & Nelson, T. A. (2012). Work stress and coping in the era of globalization. Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203157060 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203157060

Bravata, D. M., Watts, S. A., Keefer, A. L., Madhusudhan, D. K., Taylor, K. T., Clark, D. M., & Hagg, H. 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 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-019-05364-1

Chandra, S., Huebert, C. A., Crowley, E., & Das, A. M. (2019). Impostor syndrome: Could it be holding you or your mentees back? Chest, 156(1), 26-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2019.02.325 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2019.02.325

Chromey, K., Lutgen-Sandvik, Pamela, Kingsley-Westerman, Catherine, Peterson, Claudette, & Platt, Carrie Anne. (2017). "I'm Not Just Crazy.": Exploring the Impostor Phenomenon in an Educational and Communicative Context [Doctoral Dissertation, North Dakota State University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

Clance, P. R. (1985). The impostor phenomenon: Overcoming the fear that haunts your success. Peachtree Pub Limited. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/t11274-000

Clance, P. R., & Imes, S. A. (1978). The imposter phenomenon in high achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic interven-tion. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 15(3), 241-247. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0086006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/h0086006

Clance, P. R., Dingman, D., Reviere, S. L., & Stober, D. R. (1995). Impostor phenomenon in an interpersonal/social context: Or-igins and treatment. Women & therapy, 16(4), 79-96. https://doi.org/10.1300/J015v16n04_07 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J015v16n04_07

Cohen, E. D., & McConnell, W. R. (2019). Fear of fraudulence: Graduate school program environments and the impostor phenomenon. The Sociological Quarterly, 60(3), 457-478. https://doi.org/10.1080/00380253.2019.1580552 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00380253.2019.1580552

Cokley, K., Smith, L., Bernard, D., Hurst, A., Jackson, S., Stone, S., Awosogba, O., Saucer, C., Bailey, M., & Roberts, D. (2017). Im-postor feelings as a moderator and mediator of the relation-ship between perceived discrimination and mental health among racial/ethnic minority college students. Journal of Coun-seling Psychology, 64(2), 141–154. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000198 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000198

Dweck, C. S. (1986). Motivational processes affecting learn-ing. American Psychologist, 41(10), 1040–1048. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.41.10.1040 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037//0003-066X.41.10.1040

Dweck, C. S. (2009). Mindsets: Developing talent through a growth mindset. Olympic Coach, 21(1), 4-7.

Dweck, C. S. (2016). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Bal-lantine Books.

Filarowska, M., & Schier, K. (2018). The impostor phenomenon: The sense of intellectual falseness. Psychoterapia, 2(1), 35-45.

García, A., Puentes, C. F., Andrés, M. L., & Juric, L. C. (2019). Mejorar el aprendizaje escolar a partir de promover la mentalidad de crecimiento. La ciencia de enseñar. Aportes desde la psicología cognitiva a la educación.Editorial EUDEM.

García Coni, A., Saldi, L. B., Villarramos, C., Andrés, M. L., & Canet Juric, L. (2022). El Papel de la mentalidad de crecimiento en el desempeño de estudiantes de escuela primaria. Actualidades En Psicología, 36(133), 42–57. https://doi.org/10.15517/ap.v36i133.45774 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15517/ap.v36i133.45774

Gardner, R., Bednar, J., Stewart, B., Oldroyd, J., & Moore, J. (2019). “I must have slipped through the cracks somehow”: An examination of coping with perceived impostorism and the role of social support. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 115(2), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.103337 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.103337

Glanz, K., Rimer, B. K., & Viswanath, K. (2008). Health behavior and health education: Theory, research, and practice (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Halbesleben, J. R., Neveu, J. P., Paustian-Underdahl, S. C., & Westman, M. (2014). Getting to the “COR” understanding the role of resources in conservation of resources theory. Jour-nal of Management, 40(5), 1334-1364. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314527130 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314527130

Hawley, Katherine (2019). I—What Is Impostor Syndrome? Aris-totelian Society Supplementary Volume, 93 (1):203-226. https://doi.org/10.1093/arisup/akz003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/arisup/akz003

Joshi, A., & Mangette, H. (2018). Unmasking of impostor syn-drome. Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education, 3(1), 3-16. https://ecommons.udayton.edu/jraphe/vol3/iss1/3

Kamarzarrin, H., Khaledian, M., Shooshtari, M., Yousefi, E., & Ahrami, R. (2013). A study of the relationship between self-esteem and the imposter phenomenon in the physicians of Rasht city. European Journal of Experimental Biology, 3(2), 363-366.

Levant, B., Villwock, J. A., & Manzardo, A. M. (2020). Impostor-ism in third-year medical students: An item analysis using the clance impostor phenomenon scale. Perspectives on Medical Education, 9(2), 83-91. https://10.1007/s40037-020-00562-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/S40037-020-00562-8

Revilla, L., Luna, J., Bailón, E., & Medina, I. (2005). Validación del cuestionario MOS de apoyo social en atención primaria. Medicina de Familia, 10(6), 10-18.

Rosenstein, A., Raghu, A., & Porter, L. (2020). Identifying the prevalence of the impostor phenomenon among computer science students. Proceedings of the 51st ACM Technical Sympo-sium on Computer Science Education, 30-36 https://doi.org/10.1145/3328778.3366815 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3328778.3366815

Palmer, C. (2021, June). How to overcome impostor phenome-non. Monitor on Psychology, 52(4). http://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/06/cover-impostor-phenomenon

Pervez, A., Brady, L. L., Mullane, K., Lo, K. D., Bennett, A. A., & Nelson, T. A. (2021). An empirical investigation of mental ill-ness, impostor syndrome, and social support in management doctoral programs. Journal of Management Education, 45(1), 126-158. https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562920953195 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562920953195

Rudenga, K. J., & Gravett, E. O. (2020). Impostor phenomenon in educational developers. To Improve the Academy, 39(2), 45-52. https://doi.org/10.3998/tia.17063888.0038.107 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3998/tia.17063888.0038.107

Sakulku, J. (2011). The impostor phenomenon. The Journal of Be-havioral Science, 6(1), 75-97. https://doi.org/10.14456/ijbs.2011.6

Schubert, N., & Bowker, A. (2019). Examining the impostor phe-nomenon in relation to self-esteem level and self-esteem in-stability. Current Psychology, 38(3), 749-755. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-017-9650-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-017-9650-4

Slade, S. J. (2020). Empathy rounds: Residents combating impostor syndrome. Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 12(3), 351–352. https://doi.org/10.4300/jgme-d-19-00832.1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4300/JGME-D-19-00832.1

Tigranyan, S., Byington, D. R., Liupakorn, D., Hicks, A., Lombardi, S., Mathis, M., & Rodolfa, E. (2020). Factors related to the im-postor phenomenon in psychology doctoral students. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 15(4), 298–305. https://doi.org/10.1037/tep0000321 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/tep0000321

Vergauwe, J., Wille, B., Feys, M., De Fruyt, F., & Anseel, F. (2015). Fear of being exposed: The trait-relatedness of the impostor phenomenon and its relevance in the work context. Journal of Business and Psychology. 30, 565–581. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-014-9382-5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-014-9382-5

Vilchez-Cornejo, J., Romani, L., Chávez-Bustamante, S. G., Copa-ja-Corzo, C., Sánchez-Vicente, J. C., Viera-Morón, R. D., & Ocampo-Portocarrero, B. (2023). Síndrome del impostor y sus factores asociados en Estudiantes de Medicina de Seis Facultades peruanas. Revista Colombiana de Psiquiatría, 52(2), 113–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcp.2021.04.011 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcp.2021.04.011

Villwock, J. A., Sobin, L. B., Koester, L. A., & Harris, T. M. (2016). Impostor syndrome and burnout among American medical students: A pilot study. International Journal of Medical Educa-tion, 7, 364-369. https://doi.org/10.5116/ijme.5801.eac4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5116/ijme.5801.eac4

Williams, E. (2020) Mentoring in An Impostor World: An Analysis on the Effects of Mentors on Mentee and the Impact of Mentor Disclosure. Schultz-Werth Award Papers, 3. https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/schultz-werth/3

Young, V. (2011). The secret thoughts of successful women: Why capa-ble people suffer from the impostor syndrome and how to thrive in spite of it. Crown Business.

Zanchetta, M., Junker, S., Wolf, A. M., & Traut-Mattausch, E. (2020). “Overcoming the fear that haunts your success”–The effectiveness of interventions for reducing the impostor phe-nomenon. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00405 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00405

Published

2025-10-16

How to Cite

Acevedo-Rodríguez, S., Rosario-Rodríguez, A., & Cruz Félix, Ángela. (2025). Impostor Phenomenon, Social Support, and Growth Mindset in Graduate Students. Revista Caribeña De Psicología, 9(1), e9591. https://doi.org/10.37226/rcp.v9i1.9591

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >>