For anyone who missed meetings this spring, or wants to remind themself what we talked about, I’m posting notes from the February, March, April, and May 2019 WIBS meetings on this blog.
Below is a belated posting about the February 2019 WIBS meeting on imposter syndrome. Many people that were not able to make the meeting expressed interest in viewing a recording of this meeting, but a few folks were worried that recording the meeting could make people uncomfortable or stifle discussion. As a compromise, we are attaching very detailed notes from the meeting along with this blog post so that people can see what was discussed. The meeting summary and notes/minutes are courtesy of Jeremy Summers – thanks, Jeremy!
Meeting summary: February’s WIBS meeting focused on imposter syndrome; feelings of doubt many have regarding their own success and competence. Dr. Devasmita Chakraverty of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad presented slides on her research of the topic via a video call. She specifically referred to the topic as imposter phenomenon to highlight that the feelings are widespread and normal, relative to the more clinical sounding “Syndrome”. Deva’s study had individuals working in science from academia and industry fill out a survey asking questions about if they have experienced imposter phenomenon. She received over 900 responses which lead to over 400 in-depth interviews. The goal of the study was to provide qualitative information on patters surrounding imposter phenomenon. People of very different backgrounds, ages, and positions all experienced imposter phenomenon, although there was a trend for the feelings to be most common and strongest for people who were undergoing a transition in their careers and/or represented a minority in their field/workplace. The feelings were very persistent, still existing in those who have been in their field for a long time, and they typically manifested differently in men and women. Many women had their feelings founded in external cues, such as the behavior of coworkers/supervisors toward them, and these sources tended to be extremely persistent throughout one’s career, while men’s feelings came from more temporary sources, such as their own lack of experience in a field. The most important way of alleviating imposter phenomenon is to build a community with safe spaces to talk about it. Many people believed their feelings were unusual but talking to others and asking for feedback helps to reduce isolation and give a more accurate self-image.
In the follow up discussion, WIBS members talked about their own experience with imposter phenomenon. We talked about the interaction between work-life balance and imposter phenomenon – how it can become a cycle of overworking a self-doubt. The question of what we can do as a department was asked, with the answer being to add a mental health component to grad student orientation and include imposter phenomenon as part of that.