impostor syndrome It strikes women and young academics early in their careers Recommendations that academic institutions focus on fostering environments in which everyone feels they can succeed, regardless of gender, color, or ethnicity The researchers analyzed data from surveys of more than 4,000 academics from nine US universities. Credit: Parker Jarnigan unsplash A study conducted by a team of psychologists stated that women and academics, at the beginning of their careers, are more likely to feel unqualified to pursue disciplines that require high professional abilities to shine. The study, published in the Journal of Educational Psychology, stated that "the higher the level of intelligence and talents that the academic system requires in order to succeed, the more women and academics feel at the beginning of their careers of professional incompetence," which reveals obstacles to the professional advancement of groups certain in academia. The results indicate that “feelings of inadequacy were particularly pronounced among women from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in higher education institutions and academia in the United States of America such as African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders." "Academic women may experience feelings of intellectual fraud more strongly than men, and individuals who are just beginning their careers also experience these feelings more strongly than older individuals," explains Melis Mouratoglou, a doctoral student at New York University and the lead researcher on the study. . "Based on previous research, it is likely that women in these groups have a high sense of fraud and low self-esteem, especially in areas that focus on brilliance," Oglu said in statements to "For Science". They are targeted by negative gender, race and gender stereotypes. And the "impostor syndrome" is a "psychological pattern that leads to a person's doubts about his achievements, his feeling that he does not deserve the status he has reached, and he has a constant internal fear that others will view him as a fraud, and despite the existence of evidence confirming their competence, individuals who suffer from From imposter syndrome they remain convinced that they are frauds, and that they do not deserve everything they have achieved.” Oglu adds: Women — and other groups — may not be welcome in jobs that value brilliance because of stereotypes that associate brilliance and professionalism with men. The researchers analyzed data from surveys of more than 4,000 academics from nine public and private US universities representing more than 80 fields, including those in the natural and social sciences, humanities, and medicine. Participants were asked to rate their level of expertise and how it relates to the fraudster's feelings through their reactions to statements such as (I am sometimes afraid that others will discover how much knowledge or ability I really lack) and (I believe that being an outstanding researcher in my field requires a special competence that cannot be learned). . According to the findings, more women and early-career academics (i.e., graduate students and postdocs) reported feeling like impostors, and the “impostor syndrome” in areas perceived to value brilliance was particularly strong among women from Racial and ethnic groups in which women are usually underrepresented. Irrespective of gender, career stage, gender or ethnicity, academics who reported feeling “more acutely a fraud” also reported feeling less connected to their colleagues, and experiencing lower confidence in themselves and their ability to succeed in the future, suggesting that The experience of feeling cheated may limit the success of these academics. “We believe that the discussion on how to reduce imposter syndrome should be reframed, and academic institutions should focus on fostering environments in which everyone feels they can succeed,” says Oglu.