Imposter syndrome isn’t the commonplace and transient self-doubt and angst almost all professionals occasionally experience. It’s not isolated to women, racial, ethnic, or sexual and gender minorities.


Over time, those affected discount or reject their own viewpoints, credibility and authority—robbing themselves, their organization and patients of the benefits of their potential.


IR is a highly innovative and prestigious specialty that demands its practitioners to be hardworking, selfless, detail oriented and high achieving. This is the kind of fertile cultural soil in which impostor syndrome thrives. But if overwork, exhaustion and perfectionism are institutionally rewarded, impostorism will be fortified, potentially degrading


the morale of those affected and the mission of the organization.


Origins and drivers of impostor syndrome The origins of imposter syndrome were initially postulated to come from individual character traits such as low self-esteem, perfectionism in high achievers and an internalized flawed logic linking self-worth to achievement. However, more contemporary studies suggest impostor phenomenon is more often a reaction to external interpersonal and societal factors.2


In many of those


affected, past trauma, family dynamics and deeply held personal beliefs may be the chief drivers of impostorism.


Women, racial and ethnic minorities as well as sexual and gender minorities who lack the privilege of some of their peers are particularly susceptible to this experience.3,4,10


suffer the burdens of depression and anxiety disorders—though it can engender and amplify these feelings. Impostorism cuts broadly through the whole of society and most often thrives in hardworking, deeply committed, purpose-driven high-achievers like interventional radiologists. Impostor syndrome and its insidious malcontent first-cousins— anxiety, depression and burnout— may be robbing us of the full human potential that we need as we strive to advance IR. For the benefit of our specialty, workforce and patients, in our next edition we will discuss ways to measure signs of impostorism and mechanisms to dismantle it.


References In


short, impostor syndrome is often a personalized manifestation of a multitude of interpersonal and societal factors. Specifically, stereotypes and low representation in the workforce can reinforce notions in individuals that they are out of place, unusual or inferior. The very presence of an individual from an underrepresented minority in academic or workplace spaces may illicit insinuations that they were given preferential treatment to achieve their status.6


Thus, the


cultural environment itself is informing their belief that they are an impostor. Perceived stress among minorities with impostorism is amplified when overt discrimination is encountered. Kevin Cokley, PhD, a professor of educational psychology and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, studies the phenomenon and found impostorism to be an even greater predictor of negative mental health outcomes in minorities than discrimination.4


Conclusion Imposter syndrome isn’t the commonplace and transient self-doubt and angst almost all professionals occasionally experience. It’s not isolated to women, racial, ethnic, or sexual and gender minorities. It doesn’t take root only in those who


20 IRQ | WINTER 2022


1. Clance, PR, Imes, SA.The imposter phenomenon in high achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 1987;15(3):241–247.


2. Cokley, K., McClain, S., Enciso, A. and Martinez, M. An examination of the impact of minority status stress and impostor feelings on the mental health of diverse ethnic minority college students. J Multicult Couns Devel. 2013;41:82–95.


3. Feenstra S, Begeny CT, Ryan MK, Rink FA, Stoker JI, Jordan J. Contextualizing the impostor “syndrome.” Front Psychol. 2020;11:206.


4. Bravata DM, Watts SA, Keefer AL, et al. Prevalence, Predictors, and treatment of impostor syndrome: A systematic review. J Gen Intern Med. 2020;35(4):1252–1275.


5. Cokley K, Smith L, Bernard D, Hurst A, Jackson S, Stone S, Awosogba O, Saucer C, Bailey M, and Roberts D. Impostor feelings as a moderator and mediator of the relationship between perceived discrimination and mental health among racial/ethnic minority college students. J Couns Pyshcol. 2017;64(2):141–154.


6. Wong K. Dealing with impostor syndrome when you’re treated as an impostor. The New York Times. June 12, 2018.


7. Lapite A. Overcoming imposter syndrome in medicine.Wolters Kluwer. April 29, 2020.


8. Barraza M. Overcoming Imposter Syndrome (No. 150) [Audio podcast episode]. BackTable. 2021, August 23.


9. Arleo EK, Wagner-Schulman M, McGinty G, Salazar G, Mayr NA. Tackling impostor syndrome: A multidisciplinary approach. Clin Imaging. 2021 Jun;74:170-172.


10. Badawy RL, Gazdag BA, Bentley JR, Brouer RL. Are all impostors created equal? Exploring gender differences in the impostor phenomenon-performance link. Pers Individ Differ. 2018(131);156-163.


11. Deshmukh S, et al. Imposter phenomenon in radiology: incidence, intervention, and impact on wellness. Clin. Imaging. 2021 Nov 16;82:94-99


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