Attachment style and self-handicapping: the mediating role of the imposter phenomenon
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Attachment style and self‑handicapping: the mediating role of the imposter phenomenon Laura E. Jensen1 · Eric D. Deemer1 Received: 21 June 2019 / Accepted: 20 July 2020 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract Many students pursuing post-secondary education will experience the imposter phenomenon at some point in their academic career. The imposter phenomenon can lead to anxiety, self-doubt, and self-handicapping strategies that can impair academic success for students. Self-presentation strategies can be adaptive in the competitive and evaluative environment that is education in the U.S., but not all students use these strategies in the same way. To understand the differences, this study looked at how attachment style relates to the imposter phenomenon from an interpersonal perspective. Due to the evaluative and social nature of education, we also looked at how social comparison changes how students portray themselves to others or how they view themselves. We studied 946 university students and found an indirect effect from the imposter phenomenon and self-handicapping via avoidant attachment. Further, social comparison moderated the indirect relation between avoidant attachment and self-handicapping. Specifically, the indirect effect from avoidant attachment and self-handicapping was weaker with higher levels of social comparison. Results highlight the importance of tailoring counseling and career development interventions to the student and emphasize how educators can address social comparison in the classroom. Keywords The imposter phenomenon · Social comparison · Self-handicapping · Attachment
* Laura E. Jensen [email protected] Eric D. Deemer [email protected] 1
Department of Educational Studies, Purdue University, 100 N University St, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
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L. E. Jensen, E. D. Deemer
1 Introduction Nearly 70% of people will experience the imposter phenomenon at some point in their lives (Sakulku and Alexander 2011). This means that nearly 70% of people will at some point feel like a fraud, believe they achieved their accomplishments by luck, and be unable to attribute success to themselves (Clance and Imes 1978). People who work in high stress environments, or who are often evaluated, are especially prone to this phenomenon (Parkman 2016). For example, university students experience considerable stress and are vulnerable to the imposter feelings (Parkman 2016). College is a time when students encounter unique time, social, and academic demands (Beauchamp et al. 2016). Sometimes, these demands threaten students’ self-worth, and students protect themselves using behaviors that can cause harm in the long-term (i.e., self-handicapping; Gadbois and Sturgeon 2011; Pulford et al. 2005). Different theories help explain why some students self-handicap more than others (e.g., Achievement Goal Theory; Midgley and Urdan 2001), however it is less clear why some students are more vulnerable to the imposter feelings. To better understand outcomes of the imposter phenomenon, we look
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