Never good enough: The relation between the impostor phenomenon and multidimensional perfectionism

Abstract

The Impostor Phenomenon can be described as the tendency to attribute professional success not to one's own abilities but to excessive effort or fortunate external circumstances. Individuals strongly experiencing those tendencies fear that one day they will be exposed as "impostors" as soon as their alleged incompetence can no longer be concealed. Typical characteristics of the Impostor Phenomenon outlined by Clance (1985) show a remarkable conceptual similarity to the personality construct of perfectionism. Thus, the present study aimed at investigating how the Impostor Phenomenon is related to various facets of dispositional perfectionism with respect to predominant conceptualizations of perfectionism by Frost et al. (1990), Hewitt and Flett (1991), as well as their combination within the bifactor model of Perfectionistic Strivings and Perfectionistic Concerns (Frost et al. 1993). A total of N = 274 individuals participated in an online survey including the Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS; Clance 1988), the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS; Frost et al. 1990), and the Hewitt und Flett Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS short form; Hewitt et al. 2008). Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to determine the differential contributions of perfectionism dimensions and factors in predicting the Impostor Phenomenon. The perfectionism dimensions Doubts about Actions, Concern over Mistakes and Socially prescribed Perfectionism appeared to be efficient predictors of the Impostor Phenomenon. Contrary to Perfectionistic Strivings, Perfectionistic Concerns as a maladaptive perfectionism factor strongly contributed to the prediction of the Impostor Phenomenon. Theoretical and practical implications of the associations between the Impostor Phenomenon and multidimensional perfectionism are discussed.

A Cultural Impostor? Native American Experiences of Impostor Phenomenon in STEM

“…, 2020 ), maladaptive perfectionism ( Cokley et al. , 2018 ; Pannhausen et al. , 2020 ), and certain self-handicapping behaviors ( Jensen and Deemer, 2020 ), among others, in management ( Rohrmann et al.…”

Moderating role of perceived work addiction of managers in the relationship between employees' perfectionism and work addiction: a trait activation theory perspective

“…It stimulates them to go on working until they feel they have done enough to be accepted. Since it is rather problematic for perfectionists to get the feeling of “enough” (Pannhausen et al. , 2022), such employees simply fall into the endless process of excessive working, which eventually may turn into work addiction.…”

Fenômeno do Impostor e Perfeccionismo: Avaliando o Papel Mediador da Autoestima

“…Originalmente, concebia-se o perfeccionismo como um construto unidimensional e atualmente identificam-se modelos multidimensionais (Hewitt & Flett, 1991;Frost, Marten, Lahart, & Rosenblate, 1990), que capturam dimensões que podem ser empiricamente combinadas com fatores de ordem superior envolvendo tanto os esforços perfeccionistas (tendência de estabelecer padrões elevados e se esforçar para alcançá-los) quanto às preocupações perfeccionistas (percepção de outros como pressão para busca por perfeição), assumindo características adaptativas e desadaptativas (Hill & Curran, 2015;Pannhausen, Considerando que os modelos existentes de perfeccionismo se centravam nos fatores antecedentes, acompanhantes ou em seus efeitos, Slaney, Mobley, Trippi, Ashby e Johnson (1996) buscaram preencher esta lacuna ao considerar seus aspectos positivos e negativos compreendendo o perfeccionismo como sendo a interação entre padrões pessoais do indivíduo e sua percepção sobre a discrepância entre o desempenho atual e os seus padrões (ou seja, avaliação de desempenho). Foram considerados três aspectos, dois envolvendo a busca por padrões elevados e a apreciação por ordem caracterizando uma forma de perfeccionismo adaptativo, e uma terceira dimensão (discrepância), que avalia "a percepção que as pessoas têm de que não estão cumprindo seus próprios padrões elevados" (p. 9) e é considerada um indicador de perfeccionismo desadaptativo (Arana, Rice, & Ashby, 2017).…”