Research Article
Coping with Impostor Feelings: Evidence Based
Recommendations from a Mixed Methods Study
Jill Barr-Walker
Clinical Librarian
Zuckerberg San Francisco
General Hospital Library
University of California,
San Francisco
San Francisco, California,
United States of America
Email: [email protected]
Debra A. Werner
Director of Library Research
in Medical Education
John Crerar Library
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, United
States of America
Email: [email protected]
Liz Kellermeyer
Biomedical Research
Librarian
Library & Knowledge
Services
National Jewish Health
Denver, Colorado, United
States of America
Email: [email protected]
Michelle B. Bass
Manager, Research and Instruction
Countway Library of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts,
United States of America
Email: [email protected]
Received: 8 Jan. 2020 Accepted: 11 Apr. 2020
2020 Barr-Walker, Werner, Kellermeyer, and Bass. This
is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons‐Attribution‐Noncommercial‐Share Alike License 4.0
International (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/),
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is properly attributed, not used for commercial
purposes, and, if transformed, the resulting work is redistributed under the
same or similar license to this one.
Data Availability: Barr-Walker, J., Bass, M. B., Werner, D. A., &
Kellermeyer, L. (2019). Coping with impostor feelings: Evidence-based
recommendations from a mixed methods study (V2) [Survey instrument, data,
codebooks]. UC San Francisco. https://doi.org/10.7272/Q65T3HP6. The survey
instrument is available in appendix 1. The de-identified data and codebook as
well as qualitative codebooks are available in data appendices 2 and 3.
DOI: 10.18438/eblip29706
Abstract
Objective – The negative effects
of impostor phenomenon, also called impostor syndrome, include burnout and
decreased job satisfaction and have led to an increased interest in addressing
this issue in libraries in recent years. While previous research has shown that
many librarians experience impostor phenomenon, the experience of coping with
these feelings has not been widely studied. The aim of our study was to
understand how health sciences librarians cope with impostor phenomenon in the
workplace.
Methods – We conducted a census of 2125 Medical Library Association members
between October and December 2017. An online survey featuring the Harvey
Impostor Phenomenon scale and open-ended questions about coping strategies to
address impostor phenomenon at work was administered to all eligible
participants. We used thematic analysis to explore strategies for addressing
impostor phenomenon and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to examine
relationships between impostor phenomenon scores and coping strategies.
Results – Among 703 survey respondents, 460 participants completed the
qualitative portion of the survey (65%). We found that external coping
strategies that drew on the help of another person or resource, such as
education, support from colleagues, and mentorship, were associated with lower
impostor scores and more often rated by participants as effective, while
internal strategies like reflection, mindfulness, and recording praise were
associated with less effectiveness and a greater likelihood of impostor feelings.
Most respondents reported their strategies to be effective, and the use of any
strategy appeared to be more effective than not using one at all.
Conclusions – This study provides evidence based recommendations for
librarians, library leaders, and professional organizations to raise awareness
about impostor phenomenon and support our colleagues experiencing these
feelings. We
attempt to situate our recommendations within the context of potential
barriers, such as white supremacy culture, the resilience narrative, and the
lack of open communication in library organizations.
Introduction
Impostor phenomenon, also known as impostor syndrome
or impostor experience, is defined as an internal feeling of not deserving
personal success that has been rightfully achieved (Clark et al., 2014).
Individuals experiencing impostor
phenomenon may believe that they have fooled others
into overestimating their own abilities; attribute personal success to factors
other than their own ability or intelligence, such as luck, extra work,
charisma, or misjudgment; and fear exposure as an impostor (Clark et al.,
2014). Existing research has shown that up to 70% of the population has
experienced impostor phenomenon (Harvey & Katz, 1985), and many people
suffer from its associated adverse effects such as anxiety, depression, lack of
confidence, decreased job satisfaction and performance, and inability to
achieve in the face of self-imposed unattainable goals, which can lead to
burnout (Parkman, 2016).
The current study is part of a larger research project
that hypothesized higher rates of impostor phenomenon among health sciences
librarians compared to college and research librarians, primarily because of
the lack of educational background health sciences librarians hold in their
subject areas. This effect was not found, suggesting that the current study's findings
around coping strategies are broadly applicable across the academic librarian
community.
While anecdotal evidence and a growing body of research have shown that
impostor phenomenon in librarianship exists, no studies have examined how
librarians cope with this phenomenon. Our study attempts to provide an evidence
base for recommendations to address impostor phenomenon among librarians.
Literature Review
Impostor phenomenon has been studied extensively in academia, with two
comprehensive literature reviews focusing on the existing research in this
field (Parkman, 2016; Parkman & Beard, 2008). Many studies have documented
the prevalence of impostor phenomenon among faculty, students, and staff, with
some noting that the academic environment of “scholarly isolation, aggressive
competitiveness, disciplinary nationalism, a lack of mentoring and the
valuation of product over process” (McDevitt, 2006, p. 1) may cultivate
impostor feelings. Race and gender, previously thought to be unrelated to the
experience of impostor phenomenon, have recently shown associations with
impostor scores in academic populations, including women graduate students
(Collett et al., 2013; Oriel et al., 2004) and Black undergraduate students
(Bernard et al., 2018; Cokley et al., 2017). Within academic libraries, two
studies have shown that one in eight librarians have experienced impostor
phenomenon, with younger and newer librarians demonstrating higher impostor
scores than their older and more experienced colleagues (Barr-Walker et al.,
2019; Clark et al., 2014).
Although countless studies have measured the prevalence of impostor
phenomenon using two validated measurements (Clance & Imes, 1978; Harvey
& Katz, 1985), few studies have examined the ways in which people with
impostor phenomenon successfully cope with these feelings. Two studies
discovered a range of coping strategies used by faculty, including seeking
support from colleagues, family, and friends; correcting cognitive distortions
about the meaning of success and validating successes; and using avoidant
behaviors like substance use, ignoring impostor feelings, and working harder
(Hutchins & Rainbolt, 2017; Rakestraw, 2017). Mentor relationships were
consistently reported as a successful strategy for addressing impostor phenomenon,
with mentors encouraging participants to own their accomplishments, reassuring
them about the normalcy of impostor feelings, modeling positive behaviors like
avoiding unrealistic comparison with others, and providing emotional and
practical support, including ideas and advice about their work (Hutchins &
Rainbolt, 2017). Importantly, while all strategies lessened impostor feelings,
this lessening was reported as a temporary effect overall.
Despite the lack of research on the use of coping strategies, most of
the literature on impostor phenomenon recommends similar strategies at the
individual level (e.g., recording accomplishments, self-evaluation,
collaborating with colleagues), the managerial level (e.g., giving praise to
direct reports, accepting mistakes), and the organizational level (e.g.,
creating mentoring programs) (De Vries, 2005; Parkman, 2016; Rakestraw, 2017).
Within academia, programs for faculty, staff, and students have been developed
to acknowledge and address impostor phenomenon, including awareness workshops
at faculty orientations, mentoring and peer group programs, regular discussions
for first-year employees, and the implementation of structured feedback systems
(Parkman, 2016). Recommendations in the literature for supervisors include
giving positive, documented feedback, facilitating a written record of
accomplishments for employees, discussing clearly what success and excellence
in a particular position might look like, modeling work-life balance while
eschewing expectations of perfection, and being aware of the signs of impostor
phenomenon in order to prevent and address it (De Vries, 2005; Rakestraw,
2017).
Efforts to raise awareness about impostor phenomenon within academic
librarianship have increased in the last five years, with American Library
Association-sponsored webinars (Conner-Gaten, Van Ness, & Tate-Louie, 2018;
Puckett, 2018), the appearance of regular workshops at conferences like the New
Librarian Symposium and the Association of College and Research Libraries
(ACRL) conference, and a proliferation of published articles on the topic
(Agostino & Cassidy, 2019; Lacey
& Parlette-Stewart, 2017; Murphy, 2016; Rakestraw, 2017; Sobotka, 2014).
Despite this increased interest, no evidence yet exists to support the range of
recommendations that are widely suggested to address impostor phenomenon.
Aims
The aim of this study was to understand how health
sciences librarians cope with impostor phenomenon. Our research questions
include the following: How are librarians experiencing impostor phenomenon at
work? What types of coping strategies do librarians use to address these
impostor feelings? How effective are current coping strategies at addressing
impostor phenomenon? By answering these questions, we seek to provide evidence
based solutions for addressing the experience of impostor phenomenon among
librarians.
Methods
We developed an online, anonymous survey using REDCap,
a secure, web-based application designed to support data capture for research
studies. Our survey contained the 14-statement Harvey Impostor Phenomenon
scale, seven demographic questions, and two open-ended questions: "Do you
use any strategies to address feelings of inadequacy at work?" and
"If applicable, how effective are these strategies in addressing those
feelings of inadequacy?" (see
appendix 1 referenced in Data Availability).
The development of our survey instrument has been described in detail
elsewhere (Barr-Walker et al., 2019). Briefly, the Harvey Impostor Phenomenon
scale, developed in 1981, is a validated tool widely used to measure impostor
phenomenon (Harvey & Katz, 1985). The Harvey scale contains 14 statements
that respondents score on a scale of 1 to 7, representing "Not at all
true" to "Very true"; some statements are reverse scored. For
example, a statement like "In general, people tend to believe I am more
competent than I really am" is scored as 1 for "Not at all true"
and 7 for "Very true," while a statement like "I feel I deserve
whatever honors, recognition, or praise I receive" is reverse scored.
Overall scores can range from 0 to 84, with higher scores corresponding to
higher instance of impostor phenomenon. Scores of 42 and higher "may
indicate possible troubles due to impostor feelings, and scores in the upper
range suggest significant anxiety" (Harvey & Katz, 1985).
Univariate analysis and one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s
post-hoc test were completed in Stata, a statistical analysis software, by one
author (Author 1). For qualitative analysis, two authors (Author 1 & Author
2) used thematic analysis (Silverman, 2003; Wolcott, 2001) to create 14 codes
from the responses to the open-ended survey questions using Google Sheets.
Participant responses were reviewed independently by both authors who then
shared their ideas about emerging themes and came to consensus on codes; the
two authors then independently assigned thematic codes to each response.
Inter-rater reliability was conducted after this step, with both authors
checking each response and resolving any discrepancies between code assignments
via deliberation until resolution. Study data and corresponding codebooks are
available in appendices 2 and 3 noted in Data Availability.
All 2,125 eligible members of the Medical Library
Association (excluding students, unemployed members, and members located
outside the United States) were emailed an invitation to complete the online
survey in October 2017, with two reminders sent over the next two months; the
survey closed for responses on December 31, 2017. This study was approved as
exempt research by the University of California, San Francisco IRB (study
#17-22873).
Results
Respondents
Of those surveyed, 703 respondents completed the survey (33% response
rate), and 460 (65% of those who completed the survey) provided information for
the two open-ended questions about strategies used to address feelings of
inadequacy at work and the effectiveness of those strategies. Quantitative
analysis of the study results has been reported elsewhere (Barr-Walker et al.,
2019); for the purposes of this paper, we will report only on the 460
respondents who completed the open-ended questions.
Most of the 460 respondents identified as women (85%)
and White (84%), worked in an academic library (58%), had an MLS degree (98%),
did not have educational training in a health sciences field (62%), and had 11
or more years of experience working in libraries (55%). Age varied among
respondents: the majority were between 36-50 (37%) or over 51 (44%), with a
smaller percentage under 36 (19%). While total impostor phenomenon scores
ranged from 5-70 (out of a possible 84), the average impostor score was 28.69,
with 15% of respondents scoring 42 or above, indicating an experience of
impostor phenomenon (Harvey & Katz, 1985). These results reflected the
overall trends among the 703 participants of the survey (Barr-Walker et al.,
2019), indicating that the 460 respondents examined in the current study were
representative of this larger population.
Strategy Types
We identified 22 types of coping strategy themes, listed in Table 1 (see
end of the article). The most frequently reported strategy was education (n =
173), followed by support from colleagues (n = 133), reflection (n =
87), perseverance (n = 54), and mindfulness (n = 47). About half
of respondents (55%) reported a single strategy, while the rest described
multiple strategies: there were no significant differences in impostor scores
at the p < 0.05 level between those who selected one or multiple
strategies [F(1,458) = 1.92, p = 0.17].
The strategies that corresponded to the highest mean impostor phenomenon
scores, indicating greater likelihood of impostor feelings), were avoidance
(38.59), other external (37.13), recording praise (34.5), and fake it ’til I
make it (34.1), with the lowest mean impostor phenomenon scores for support
from colleagues (28.95), acknowledgement (27.19), and education (25.95) (Figure
1).
We categorized each strategy as “internal” or “external” based on
whether or not the respondent relied on another person or resource as part of
the strategy. For example, internal strategies included reflection,
mindfulness, and perseverance, all of which can be done by one individual
without the assistance of another, while external strategies include education,
mentorship, and support from colleagues. Respondents were split between
reporting strategies categorized as internal (n = 176), external (n =
172), or both (n = 111). Many respondents included multiple internal or
external strategies in their responses, but only those who included at least
one strategy of each type were counted as having used both. Using one-way ANOVA
with Tukey’s post hoc test, significant differences at the p < 0.0001
level were observed in impostor scores between two groups, with those reporting
only internal strategies having higher mean scores than those who reported only
external strategies [F(2, 457) = 9.24, p
= 0.0001]. Although mean scores were lower for those that used both internal
and external strategies than those using internal strategies only, this was not
a significant effect (Figure 2). There were no significant differences in the
use of external versus internal strategies between demographic groups such as
age, years of experience, race, gender, or type of library, with usage
remaining consistent between groups.
Figure 1
Summary of the strategies with the highest and lowest impostor
score means.
Figure 2
Comparison of impostor scores by type of strategy.
Strategy Effectiveness
Most participants rated their strategies favorably, with 74% of
participants reporting that their strategies were effective (n = 320, M
= 26.81, SD = 10.20). Using one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test,
we found that the mean impostor scores for participants who reported that their
strategies were somewhat effective (n = 84, M = 38.25, SD =
9.59) or not effective (n = 21, M = 41.33, SD = 12.20) were
significantly higher than those who reported effective strategies [F(3, 428) = 38.35, p = 0.0001], showing that self-reported effectiveness corresponded
to lower impostor scores. The most frequently reported ineffective strategies
were avoidance, perseverance, and reflection, all internal strategies. The most frequently reported effective
strategies represented a mix of external and internal strategies: education,
support from colleagues, reflection, mindfulness, and perseverance.
Examples of Strategies
Reflection, an internal strategy, was an individual
process focused on reviewing what one has accomplished in order to reach the
current position in their career. Examples focused on both general
accomplishments, “I remind myself of what I’ve done in the past, and the things
I’ve learned, and the fact that I can learn more,” and achievements related to
their job roles:
“I have my
school diplomas on my office wall -- both my undergrad… and grad, which was a
master's degree; the purpose isn't to impress or intimidate other people --
they are there to remind *me* that I do belong legitimately in my office.
Sometimes I wonder if that's why other people have theirs on their own walls,
too.”
Education was a commonly referenced external coping
strategy that involved engagement with resources beyond an individual’s own
knowledge. One participant stated, “I try to participate in a lot of
professional development, especially free professional development
opportunities: MOOCs for example.” Another participant gathered ideas for
educational opportunities by “attending professional development sessions;
reading colleagues’ resumes and LinkedIn accounts to learn about ways to
improve my own.”
Effectiveness of Strategies
Out of the 74% of participants that rated their
strategies as effective, the most frequently reported were education and
support from colleagues, external strategies that were associated with lower
impostor scores. While responses around formal education like CE courses,
advanced degrees, and professional conference participation were common,
participants also found informal educational opportunities and support from
colleagues to be effective:
“I take
additional classes or read articles and books to improve areas that need work.
These strategies help, but implementing them and seeing improvements helps
improve feelings more than just completing a class or readings.”
“Ask questions,
seek help, go to experts, seek feedback. It broadens my knowledge and makes me
more confident.”
Receiving support from colleagues and mentors, inside
and outside their own libraries, was often mentioned as an effective strategy:
“I usually find
a colleague that is at the same stage or slightly further along than me to
bounce ideas off of. I also try to reach out to mentors who may not necessarily
be in my field, to compare my ideas with them. [This is] usually very
successful, I think often I underestimate my thought process, and they often
assure me that I am on the right path.”
“I have several trusted colleagues at my place
of work, and several from previous employment that I discuss any uncertainties
I am feeling to work through my impostor syndrome. [This is] highly effective.
Sometimes bouncing ideas off of another person is all I need, and occasionally
reassurance that I'm not inept or that I am the right person for the job is
necessary. Mostly it just helps boost my confidence and strengthen my ideas.”
“I try to talk to colleagues in other medical
libraries who can understand my feelings. [This is] very effective! My fellow
librarians are so helpful and empathetic - they make me feel that I am not
alone."
Although internal strategies alone were associated with higher impostor
scores, some individuals reported their use of these strategies to be
effective. Many responses combined internal and external strategies, such as
the following example which includes reflection, recording praise, and support
from colleagues:
“I list all of
the projects that I am currently working on, and all of the projects that I
have completed, whether I did a great job or a not-so-good job. I sometimes
also think about how I could be doing a worse job and imagine what that would
look like. I then think about what I could be doing better and list small steps
for improvement. Talking to peers that you are close with also helps. You
recognize that you are not alone and that you may be doing better than you
thought. The list helped me to recognize the hard work that I've put in and
does help me feel like I'm doing enough, or more than enough, in my position.
Imagining what doing a worse job would look like helps a great deal in
addressing feelings of inadequacy. Talking to peers helps significantly.”
Individual Coping Strategies
The two measurements used in our study, impostor phenomenon scores and
self-reported effectiveness, provide evidence of the association between
external strategies, lower impostor scores, and greater self-reported
effectiveness. However, variations exist among individual strategies:
perseverance, for example, was one of the most frequently reported ineffective
strategies but was associated with a lower impostor score than mentorship, a
strategy often self-reported as effective. How can we explain this? Looking
closer at this particular strategy reveals that 72% of respondents that
reported perseverance also used at least one additional strategy; because
almost half of respondents used more than one strategy, it is difficult to
separate the effects of any individual strategy from another. What seems clear
from our aggregate data is the fact that using any strategy to deal with
feelings of impostor phenomenon seems to be helpful, both in terms of
self-reported effectiveness and impostor phenomenon score. Within the choice of
strategy type, our evidence points to the use of external strategies.
Education was the most commonly reported external coping strategy, was
self-reported as effective, and was associated with the lowest mean imposter
score of all reported coping strategies. We did not distinguish between formal
and informal education in our analysis; therefore, educational strategies could
include anything from taking for-credit courses to reading articles.
Recommending educational strategies to combat impostor phenomenon, then, seems
straightforward, and for those who are able to participate in educational
activities, it is our highest recommendation to counter impostor feelings.
However, we must also acknowledge the potential barriers to utilizing this
strategy: lack of resources to pay for courses, webinars, or paywalled
articles; uncertainty, particularly for newer librarians, about whether
engaging in educational activities while at work is acceptable; and lack of
time to engage in these activities. Suggestions for organizations and leaders
to address these barriers are discussed in the next section.
Another self-reported effective external strategy was support from
colleagues. This strategy may work well when one has already established a
network of trusted colleagues, but in some workplace environments, this is not
a feasible option. Solo librarians, for example, must look for support outside
of their own libraries where they may lose the shared experience that support
from an institutional colleague often provides. Librarians new to an institution
might not know others well enough or be unsure when to ask for support.
Additionally, while many respondents described trusted colleagues, others
described environments where they lacked support or encountered toxic
colleagues. For librarians who are able to develop networks of trusted
colleagues, the ability to share feelings around impostor phenomenon can help
confirm that these feelings are shared by successful people; many respondents
in our survey described not feeling so alone after discussions with colleagues
about these issues. Support from colleagues, therefore, can serve as an
individual coping strategy and a way to raise awareness about impostor
phenomenon within our field.
One self-reported effective internal coping strategy
was acknowledgement: stating and accepting one’s lack of knowledge on a given
topic. This strategy, while not reported nearly as frequently as education or
support from colleagues, reflected the second lowest mean impostor score,
following education. Overall, internal strategies like mindfulness, fake it
’til I make it, and avoidance were associated with higher mean imposter scores
than external strategies, but acknowledging a gap in knowledge is a necessary
step before taking action, like seeking additional education or support from
colleagues; in this context, its effectiveness makes sense.
Some differences observed in internal and external scores and
self-reported effectiveness may be explained by the fact that several internal
strategies match impostor phenomenon indicators. For example, overpreparing,
fake it ’til I make it, perseverance, and avoidance are coping strategies that
also describe the characteristics of those with impostor feelings. It is not
surprising that some of these internal strategies, including avoidance and
perseverance, were self-reported as ineffective.
Less obvious is why the strategy of reflection was
also described as not effective and associated with higher impostor scores. One
possible explanation is that self-reflection, if using the warped mirror of
impostor phenomenon, can reinforce negative thoughts and perceptions.
Impostorism has been described as “an inability to accurately self-assess with
regard to performance” (Parkman, 2016). When reflecting on performance, those
who experience impostor feelings will likely undervalue their strengths and
achievements and overemphasize their mistakes and failures. Reflection and
recording praise (i.e., looking back at the things you have accomplished and
praise you have received) are commonly recommended techniques to combat
impostor phenomenon (De Vries, 2005; Hutchins & Rainbolt, 2017; Lacey &
Parlette-Stewart, 2017). However, these internal strategies were associated
with higher mean impostor scores in our study, indicating that if one is to use
them, they should be combined with external strategies to increase their
likelihood of effectiveness.
Addressing Impostor Phenomenon Through Organizational Culture
Change
Beyond individual coping strategies, another method of addressing
impostor phenomenon may come at the leadership level. Several studies suggest a
potential association between impostor feelings and job roles with a lack of
clarity in their scope (Lacey & Parlette-Stewart, 2017; Parkman, 2016). In
librarian positions where individuals are often responsible for a broad variety
of tasks, performance targets can be vague and may lead to uncertainty about
what success in one’s job looks like. As our findings have shown, support from
colleagues and mentorship are associated with lower impostor scores: improving
communication with librarians, including feedback on job performance, is a
first step toward using these coping techniques. It is important to clarify,
however, that not all feedback leads to decreased uncertainty. A recent study confirmed
that supervisors do not always have an understanding of librarians' work; thus,
feedback received in these cases can be frustrating (Thomas et al., 2017).
Alternative models of feedback such as appreciative inquiry (Rosener et al.,
2019) and two-way feedback systems may help to provide a shared understanding
of librarians' work and allow library leaders to change their expectations
based on librarian feedback. Leaders that prioritize clear, specific feedback
as part of their regular conversations with employees can begin to create a
culture of open communication in which impostor feelings can be acknowledged
and addressed. Leaders in our field have previously advocated for transparency
in communication from leadership (Robertson, 2017) in order to “create a safe
environment for library workers … to talk with one another about their concerns
and needs without fear of reprisal or rejection” (Lew, 2017).
Another opportunity for library leaders who want to create supportive
environments for their staff to address impostor phenomenon is to reject and
disrupt aspects of white supremacy culture in their organizations. White
supremacy culture is the series of characteristics that institutionalize
whiteness and Westernness as normal and superior to other ethnic, racial, and
regional identities and customs (Gray, 2019). Naming whiteness as a culture
helps us question its neutrality and normativity, including how white culture
shapes the norms, beliefs, and ideas of everyone in it (e.g., creating
standards of professionalism for dress code and speech that privilege
whiteness) (Gray, 2019; Hathcock, 2015). Impostor phenomenon can thrive in this
culture because its norms are often not named as such, and librarians whose
work (and, often, personal selves) do not fit these norms may question their
own success and ways of doing things.
Many of the hallmarks of white supremacy culture can reflect the
manifestations of impostor phenomenon in libraries, including perfectionism, a
sense of urgency, individualism, either/or thinking, and quantity over quality,
with several studies linking these two concepts (Berg et al., 2018; Dudău,
2014; Henning et al., 1998; Okun & Jones, 2016; Ross et al., 2001; Thompson
et al., 2000). Although our institutions have historically been shaped by white
supremacy culture, libraries can begin to dismantle these systems by
proactively naming our norms and standards of behavior to reflect the type of
culture that we want to see: one that does not facilitate impostor phenomenon.
To do this, library leaders can recognize that projects often take longer than
expected and create realistic work plans; create environments where it is
expected that everyone will make mistakes and recognize that these mistakes
sometimes lead to positive results; develop a values statement for the library
which expresses the ways in which people want to do their work; evaluate people
based on their ability to delegate to others; and/or make sure that everyone
knows and understands their level of responsibility and authority in the
organization (Okun & Jones, 2016). Library leaders interested in continuing
the anti-racist work of disrupting “the neutrality of whiteness” (Gray, 2019)
in their organizations can look to scholars in our profession who have written
extensively on this topic (Bourg, 2016; Ettarh, 2014; Schlesselman-Tarango,
2017).
In the current study, over 10% of participants described a coping
strategy related to perseverance or not giving up on a task even though you do
not feel fully capable of completion. This feeling of perseverance or
resilience is challenged in the library literature for obscuring structural
issues and shifting responsibilities to library workers to overcome barriers
for success (Berg et al., 2018). Using an example from our study, librarians
may feel that obtaining education in order to relieve feelings of impostor
phenomenon is their responsibility. Framing education as a coping strategy that
individual librarians must seek out ignores structural inequalities that
prevent librarians in low-resource settings or with limited support from their
library administrations from accessing these resources. According to this
theory, resilience encourages library workers “to manage up, to ignore systemic
inequalities, to return to a status quo which too often upholds silence over
difficult change, and reinforces fictions of neutrality” (Berg et al., 2018).
Library leaders can recognize the manifestations of resilience in their
environments and begin to build organizational cultures that reframe resilience.
Resilience can be reimagined in libraries within the context of addressing the
negative effects of impostor phenomenon: library leadership can create
organizations whose values include letting go of unnecessary tasks, embracing
discomfort during new training efforts, and helping staff accept “done” rather
than perfection (Berg et al., 2018).
Moving Forward: Working Together as a Profession
Professional organizations have a role to play in raising awareness
about impostor phenomenon and supporting librarians with educational and
mentorship opportunities. Our study shows that education, support from
colleagues, and mentorship are some of the most effective strategies that
librarians can use to deal with impostor feelings. ACRL, MLA, and others can strengthen
their existing mentorship programs, specifically targeting those who are
younger or new to the profession, groups that displayed higher impostor scores
in our study (Barr-Walker et al., 2019). Professional organizations can also
work together across disciplines (e.g., ACRL, MLA, PLA, SLA) to share expertise
and connect members in different job roles for peer mentoring programs. Local
chapters may be able to play a role in creating a network of supportive
colleagues and mentorship, but these chapters are often underfunded and
understaffed by volunteer librarians. While our professional organizations
currently offer regular educational opportunities including continuing
education classes, webinars, and conferences, we must consider as a profession how
fee-based education creates barriers for librarians in low-resource settings
and how we can support our colleagues without financial resources to pay for
existing educational opportunities. As the results of our study show, external
strategies like education and mentorship are associated with lower impostor
scores; these evidence based approaches should be valued when library leaders
consider budgetary decisions around professional development for staff.
When advocating for mentorship within professional organizations, we
must point out that formal mentorship programs often fail to address the
impacts of white supremacy culture on librarianship, especially around how
librarians of colour must navigate the whiteness of our profession (Brown et
al., 2018). When mentorship programs do not name, identify, or interrogate the
whiteness of our institutions, they are unable to provide a supportive
environment for participants of colour, and may facilitate feelings of impostor
phenomenon, the very thing these programs are designed to disrupt (Brown et
al., 2018; Dancy & Brown, 2011). In addition to supporting and expanding
existing diversity-centered mentorship programs, our organizations can create
supportive environments for librarians of colour in all mentorship programs by
acknowledging the harmful effects of white cultural norms and allowing
participants to express their authentic selves (Brown et al., 2018). Great
strides have been made to create informal and volunteer networks of peer
mentors as a response to the lack of support for librarians of colour in formal
mentoring spaces (Brown et al., 2018); our professional organizations can
recognize this as an opportunity to leverage these networks of experts to
improve existing programs.
Moving forward, future studies can build on our work by examining the
differences in effectiveness between individual coping strategies and how the
use of multiple strategies affects one's experience. Additionally, there is a
lack of research on how librarians' intersectional identities (e.g., race,
gender, socioeconomic status) affect their feelings of inadequacy at work and
how the coping strategies recommended in this study may be experienced
differently based on these identities, rather than as a universal approach.
Although our study did not show differences in impostor scores by race or
gender, the lack of diversity in librarianship combined with the ways in which
dynamics of privilege are enacted in our field may inform interpretations of
these results (Barr-Walker et al., 2019). Future study in this area would allow
us to better understand the associations between impostor phenomenon, how white
supremacy culture is enacted in libraries, and how these intersectional
identities are experienced.
Conclusion
In our census of members of the Medical Library
Association through an online survey, 15% of librarians experienced impostor
phenomenon, and most reported using one or more coping strategies to address
these feelings. External strategies like education, support from colleagues,
and mentorship were associated with self-reported effectiveness and lower
impostor scores. Although our findings showed less evidence for the use of
commonly recommended strategies such as reflection, mindfulness, and recording
praise, it appears that using any strategy at all is more effective than using
none. We encourage librarians and library leaders to develop and utilize
evidence based recommendations to address impostor phenomenon, with careful
consideration given to structural barriers, such as the resilience narrative
and white supremacy culture, within our field.
Acknowledgements
We thank the Institute of Research Design in
Librarianship (IRDL), notably Marie Kennedy and Lili Luo, for their support
throughout the research process, particularly in the creation and development
of this project. Special thanks to our colleagues who provided feedback on
drafts of the manuscript: Nisha Mody, Charlie Macquarie, and Eamon Tewell, IRDL
mentor, whose meaningful support throughout this project was unwavering and
essential to its completion.