"What am I doing here?" Imposter syndrome and institutional structures propagating feelings of inadequacy among graduate students

Abstract

We have all felt incredibly inadequate at some point in our lives. The pervasive thought that “everybody is more brilliant than me” is more common than we think. However, how often do we think of it as being propagated by institutional factors? My study examines how imposter syndrome, structural constraints, and their meanings interplay in academia. I spoke to 20 graduate students from different faculties, backgrounds, and genders at the Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) via semi-structured interviews. I found that participants frequently used impression management techniques, consistently showcasing skills, achievements, or levels of knowledge through their narrations. Participants approached imposter syndrome mainly as an internal personal issue, constantly comparing themselves to other people’s situations. In doing so, they used a single definition of success or failure in academia. However, the data showed that structural factors, such as racism, patriarchy, colonialism, a working yourself-to-the-bone culture, lack of support from gatekeepers, and COVID-19, all had an immense impact on feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt among graduate students.