Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

College/School

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department/Program

Psychology

Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair

Cheryl Gray

Committee Member

Michael Bixter

Committee Member

Manuel Gonzalez

Abstract

Most individuals experience impostor thoughts; however, limited construct clarity has hindered efforts to effectively examine their relationship with employee outcomes (Gullifor et al., 2021). To address this limitation, the present study adopts a sociocognitive perspective, conceptualizing impostor thoughts as beliefs that others overestimate one’s competence at work (Clance & Imes, 1978; Tewfik, 2022). Specifically, this research investigates workplace impostor thoughts and their associations with indicators of employee well-being, including job-related negative affect, burnout, physical symptoms, and perceived self-competence. Additionally, the study examines coworker support as a potential moderating factor in these relationships. A mixed-methods approach was employed. Quantitative data were collected to assess the relationships between impostor thoughts, coworker support, and employees’ well-being, while qualitative data were used to explore specific coworker supportive behaviors that may either alleviate or exacerbate impostor thoughts. The sample consisted of 223 working adults over the age of 18, recruited through the online platform Prolific. Results indicated that workplace impostor thoughts were significantly associated with multiple well-being outcomes, and that coworker support generally did not play a significant moderating role. Furthermore, qualitative analyses identified seven helpful and six unhelpful supportive behaviors exhibited by colleagues and supervisors that influence employees’ impostor thoughts. These findings highlight that impostor thoughts are associated with employee well-being and provide actionable insights employees can use to help reduce one another’s impostor thoughts in the workplace.

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