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Impostor Phenomenon

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Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences
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Synonyms

Impostor feelings; Imposter phenomenon; Impostor syndrome

Introduction

Academic and professional prowess is a valuable asset in industrialized societies, particularly for those pursuing white-collar career paths (e.g., teachers, medical professionals, entrepreneurs). For some individuals, the path to gain expertise in their fields may be filled with pressures to succeed, emotional distress, and characteristics related to the impostor phenomenon (IP). Impostors, those who experience the IP, possess a strong sense of intellectual incompetence and believe that they are untalented and undeserving of their success and recognition. Impostors regularly worry about reproducing past successes and maintaining high expectations. When left unaddressed, the IP has the potential to deteriorate a person’s mental health, which has negative implications for academic and workplace performances. Familial and cultural factors can contribute to the development and exacerbation of the IP, while a...

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Correspondence to Stephanie Le Nguyen .

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Le Nguyen, S., Shigeto, A. (2019). Impostor Phenomenon. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_2332-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_2332-1

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