A Multi-Level Exploration of Imposter Phenomenon in Graduate Students in the U.S.

• In Event: Navigating graduate education and opportunities

Abstract

Although the imposter phenomenon and its impact on mental health have been well documented, research has yet to examine how the academic environment itself can mitigate or augment the experiences of imposterism for graduate students. In this study, I use multilevel modeling to examine the imposter phenomenon as a function of student characteristics, personality traits, and interactions with the academic environment. This study confirms the conceptualization of the imposter phenomenon as an internal experience that is unrelated to evidence of success, but nuances this understanding by examining how this phenomenon is experienced within higher education as a function of not only the individual but also their academic and social environments.

Author

• Musbah Shaheen, University of Massachusetts - Amherst