The imposter phenomenon, achievement dispositions, and the five factor model

This study investigated the imposter phenomenon (IP) in relation to common achievement dispositions and the Five Factor Model (FFM). A total of 129 college students were administered measures of achievement including the Harvey Imposter Phenomenon, Cooperation, Debilitating Anxiety, Hypercompetitive Attitude, Personal Development Competition, and Self-handicapping scales, in addition to the NEO-PI-R. IP scores were related to all achievement constructs, but were best predicted by Fear of Failure (+) and Self-handicapping (+). Consistent with previous findings [Chae, J. H., Piedmont R., Estadt, B., & Wicks, R. (1995). Personal evaluation of Clance’s impostor phenomenon scale in a Korean sample. Journal of Personality Assessment, 65(3), 468–485.] the IP was related to Neuroticism (+), Extraversion (−), and Conscientiousness (−). However, Neuroticism accounted for the vast majority of variance in the FFM predicting IP scores. In addition, a pattern of correlations was found for the IP and facet scales of the NEO-PI-R that is highly similar to those reported by Chae et al. Taken together, these findings expand our understanding of the IP in achievement and confirm earlier findings for the FFM.