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Racial identity attitudes apparently have

influences also. Research on African

American graduate and professional stu-

dents reveals that those who had attended

historically black undergraduate institutions

and/or who relied strongly on spiritual

beliefs when making decisions about educa-

tional or career goals were much less likely to

feel like impostors.

The good news is that the self-deprecat-

ing and debilitating feelings associated with

the impostor phenomenon appear to

decrease as a person remains in a particular

position or attains a higher rank—that is,

unless the person perceives job uncertainty,

ambiguous job expectations, or a high

degree of challenge in their position and

does not have a high tolerance for these

situations. Studies report that, at least for

some people, having a mentor is helpful

for overcoming the sense of fraudulence.

(Presumably, having a mentor who under-

stands the impostor phenomenon would

be optimal.) Clance and her co-workers

suggest that the most positive results are

obtained through regular meetings with a

group of people who can give honest feed-

back about their perceptions of your abili-

ties. Such groups can be very good at

pointing out when your self-perception

about talents and achievements is distort-

ed, i.e., out of line with what they

observe. Thus, they can help you learn to

acknowledge your competence. Making

the effort to find an effective mentor and

assemble a support group for yourself may

be the key not only to survival but also to

improving your self esteem during your

grad school experience, job probationary

period, or even the middle or advanced

stages of your career.

Clance also recommends a three-point

exercise for those who recognize that they

have impostor traits, as published in New

Womanmagazine:

6 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS

Families that impose unrealistic

standards, those in which there

is only selective validation,

or those in which there is much

conflict and expressed anger

also put children at risk for

developing the impostor

phenomenon.

...those who had attended

historically black undergraduate

institutions and/or who relied

strongly on spiritual beliefs

when making decisions about

educational or career goals were

much less likely to feel like

impostors. Making the effort to find an

effective mentor and assemble a

support group for yourself may

be the key...to survival.

...having a mentor is helpful

for overcoming the sense of

fraudulence.