The Effect of Mentoring on Feelings of Impostor Phenomenon in Black Women Pursuing a Terminal Degree
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Psychology and Special Education
Date of Award
Summer 2020
Abstract
In 1978, Clance and Imes observed a phenomenon in primarily white, middle – to upperclass highly educated and successful women in which they described feeling as though they were an intellectual fraud despite their accomplishments and labeled it the Impostor Phenomenon. In the years since, studies have found the phenomenon present in groups regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, or age and attempted to discover factors that alter the intensity of the feelings experienced. The purpose of this study is to determine if Black women in advanced degree programs with a Black woman mentor have lesser feelings of impostor phenomenon than those with a mentor of another race or no mentor at all and if having the mentor assigned by the institution or found on her own also affects these feelings. The results showed that feelings of impostorism might not be as simple as having the same race and gender mentor or even having a mentor at all.
Advisor
Raymond Green
Subject Categories
Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Fuller, Tobi, "The Effect of Mentoring on Feelings of Impostor Phenomenon in Black Women Pursuing a Terminal Degree" (2020). Electronic Theses & Dissertations. 34.
https://digitalcommons.tamuc.edu/etd/34
