Understanding Imposter Syndrome: A Correlational Analysis Of Achievement Motivation, Parental Bonding, And Perceived Social Support

Abstract

Clance and Imes (1978) came up with the term imposter phenomenon which refers to persistent feelings of self-doubt in one’s achievements which was mostly seen in high-achieving individuals. This study investigates the relationships among Imposter Phenomenon (IP), Achievement Motivation, Parental Bonding, and Perceived Social Support in a sample of 251 individuals (108 males and 143 females) in India. Using Pearson correlations, the study explores how these factors relate to one another and what implications they have for understanding imposter syndrome. The results reveal a significant positive correlation between Imposter Phenomenon and Achievement Motivation (r = 0.549, p < 0.01), indicating that individuals with higher achievement motivation are more likely to experience imposter syndrome. This suggests that high-achieving environments might contribute to feelings of self-doubt and fraudulence. Parental bonding and the impostor phenomenon do not significantly correlate (r = -0.017), suggesting that parental interactions may not play a substantial role in imposter syndrome. Similarly, there appears to be no evidence that social support has a major effect on impostor syndrome based on the weak and non-significant correlation (r = -0.105) between the imposter phenomenon and perceived social support. Hence, future results need to delve deeper into the other underlying causes of the imposter phenomenon, examining personal, cultural, and organisational factors that might contribute to this phenomenon. Understanding the root causes can help develop more effective strategies and interventions to reduce imposter syndrome's impact, especially in high-achieving environments.