Imposter Syndrome, Anxiety, and Indian College Students

Abstract

Imposter syndrome is the feeling of incompetence despite existing evidence of competence. It is the failure of high achieving individuals to internalize their achievements and honors. The individuals, instead, attribute their achievements and success to external factors such as luck, hard work of others, or manipulation of others. The current study aims to find if the correlation between imposter syndrome and anxiety in Indian college students. The study also intends to understand a gender difference regarding the prevalence of imposter syndrome in the chosen population. The findings reveal that more than half (52%) of the sample exhibit high levels of imposter syndrome, while 59% of the sample reflected low levels of anxiety. The results also indicate a moderate positive correlation (r=0.403) between imposter syndrome and anxiety. Additionally, it also shows that women significantly experience imposter syndrome more than men. In sum, the research concludes that higher levels of imposter syndrome led to higher levels of anxiety, and women are more prone to experiencing imposter syndrome within the educational setting.