Popular misconceptions about “impostor syndrome” have spawned four myths that need debunking for managers to effectively understand and address its effects in the workplace, MIT Sloan School of Management assistant professor Basima Tewfik argued in new research.
In myth No. 1, many believe the impostor phenomenon is a permanent trait: Either you’re stuck with it, or you’re immune. That’s not the case, Tewfik and her research team found. “One can experience these thoughts sometimes but not others,” Tewfik said.
The research also debunks a second myth — that impostor syndrome creates negative outcomes. In reality, while it can lead to reduced engagement, it can also have positive consequences, Tewfik pointed out. “People who report more frequent impostor thoughts tend to be better able to relate to others and perhaps behave more ethically,” she explained.
When the term “impostor phenomenon” was first coined in 1978, it referred to the classic thought, “Other people think I’m smarter than I am,” Tewfik said. But over time, it evolved to include beliefs and feelings related to inadequacy, fear of exposure and lack of belonging.
This expanded view has muddied researchers’ and managers’ understanding of it, Tewfik and study co-authors, Jeremy Yip of Georgetown University and University of Virginia’s Sean Martin, noted.
They suggested using the term “workplace impostor thoughts” to clarify the definition and head off inaccurate assumptions.
One such assumption — myth No. 3 — is that the impostor phenomenon is uniformly harmful, Tewfik and her team determined.
People in the workplace experiencing impostor syndrome may be less satisfied with their job, less motivated or more depressed, the researchers explained. But these experiences might not be directly caused by the impostor phenomenon, Tewfik said.
“If I’m report negatively on one thing and you ask me about something else right after, there’s going to be some spillover, and I’ll report negative on those other outcomes,” Tewfik observed.
In other words, “someone at work might feel unmotivated and also feel like an impostor, but they might not feel unmotivated because they’re an impostor,” she added.
Across studies, Tewfik and her team uncovered myth No. 4 — that impostor phenomenon is more prevalent among women or those with marginalized identities. Instead, it affects women and men at similar rates, they found.
Impostor syndrome is a human experience; the difference may be how its consequences vary between groups, Tewfik indicated.
For Remy Meraz, CEO and co-founder of coaching firm Zella Life, the consequences were life-changing, she told HR Dive in 2022.
In most of her work situations, Meraz hadn’t seen other women or people of color like her, she said. At a former job, she and her Black and brown colleagues were fired after reporting racial favoritism, she related.
That experience led her to therapy and later to start Zella Life, a coaching incubator for BIPOC clients experiencing microaggressions and impostor syndrome who didn’t feel psychologically safe.
Offering learning programs and more opportunities for manager check-ins can help employees who are experiencing anxiety and impostor syndrome at work, according to a September 2022 report from isolved.
Additionally, managers can pay attention to where employees are in the organization and offer support as needed, Tewfik said.
For example, impostor thoughts may be more problematic for employees who do a lot of solo work. “They’ll feel bad, which can lead them to disengage,” she pointed out.
