Impostor Phenomenon and Psychosocial Dynamics in Higher Education
Summary
The impostor phenomenon refers to a pervasive feeling among high-achieving students and staff in higher education that success is the result of luck or deception rather than competence. Despite clear evidence of ability, individuals experiencing these feelings fear being exposed as frauds. Within universities, these feelings intersect with broader psychosocial dynamics: the stress of performance expectations, competitive cultures, perfectionist norms and social comparisons. Such dynamics can undermine self-confidence, reduce engagement with peers and mentors, and contribute to anxiety, depression or burnout. Impostor experiences vary by discipline, cultural context and identity factors, with marginalised groups often reporting heightened vulnerabilities. At the same time, organisational climate and support structures—ranging from mentorship schemes to inclusive teaching practices—can buffer against these effects. In recognising both individual coping strategies and systemic influences, institutions can foster environments that validate achievement, normalise self-doubt and promote adaptive learning trajectories across the student lifecycle and academic career pathways.
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Impostor Phenomenon and Psychosocial Dynamics in Higher Education publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in impostor phenomenon and psychosocial dynamics in higher education across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Impostor phenomenon: A pattern of self-doubt and attribution of success to external factors despite objective evidence of competence.
Psychosocial dynamics: Interactions between individuals’ psychological processes and the social, cultural or organisational environments in which they operate.
Nomological network: A conceptual framework illustrating the relationships among constructs, antecedents and outcomes within a field of study.
References
- The impostor phenomenon at work: A systematic evidence‐based review, conceptual development, and agenda for future research. Journal of Organizational Behavior (2023).
- Pseudo-Scientist: Towards Narrative Interventions for Imposter Syndrome. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction (2024).
- Prevalence, Predictors, and Treatment of Impostor Syndrome: a Systematic Review. Journal of General Internal Medicine (2019).
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