I am more actively aware of imposter syndrome than I am of stereotype threat. This is because I appear to be white, so really the only thing appearance wise that counts against me is that I am a woman. I have had experiences where people are surprised that I do not have imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome is the belief that one does not deserve to be where they are because they are not as ‘qualified’ as their peers. As the article by Megan Dalla-Camina notes, “people doubt their accomplishments and have a persistent, often internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud”, which means that even when they have evidence of accomplishments, folks with imposter syndrome still believe that they do not deserve to be in the environment they exist in.
My struggle is not whether I have earned my position in my PhD program but whether I do enough to sustain me deserving to be there. I struggle with executive dysfunction stemming from undiagnosed ADHD. This means that I, personally, am not intrinsically motivated. I need to have places to go and people to talk to in order to get the ball rolling on work. That is why hands-on work, like being in a classroom or in a regularly meeting research group helps me move forward.
Through my work in Chemical Engineering classrooms, I have noticed that imposter syndrome and stereotype threat can overlap for many people, especially those with multiple minoritized identities. Stereotype threat is the fear or risk that one will confirm negative stereotypes about the group(s) a person belongs too. The Glossary of Education Reform describes how stereotype threat can contribute to race and gender-based achievement gaps. These achievement gaps connect to high-stake tests, such as the SATs. The language instructors and other educators use can impact a student’s beliefs about their ability to do well in a class, on a test, in their program.
Stereotype threat and imposter syndrome can occur anywhere because they are fears and worries that people carry with them everywhere they go. Although one may wear different hats depending on the role they are performing, all the experiences one has had build to become a part of who they are. In classrooms, this can look like withdrawal from participation due being afraid of being wrong or having English as a second language and being afraid of speaking ‘incorrectly’. This leads to a detrimental learning environment.
In order to reduce the negative effect of both, there are several things we can do for students that will help them when they are no longer in school. Instructors, administrators, mentors, advisors, etc. can be vulnerable and open with their experiences. By showing what we have gone through and succeeded, we can help build students self-efficacy, especially if we share an identity like being Latinx, queer, etc.
Secondly, as much of a buzzword as it is, growth mindset has done wonders for both me and some students I have worked with. The professor I used to work with would always say “It doesn’t get easier, you get better.” We must acknowledge that students’ struggles and feelings are valid, and we should talk with them about it, when they are ready to. The best thing that we can do is make our offices, our classrooms, and any other space we are in safe for students.
To read more about imposter syndrome and stereotype threat (these are my sources):