Feelings of inadequacy: the relationships between overthinking and anxiety

Abstract

Impostor syndrome is a pervasive psychological pattern which involves feelings of fraudulence and fear of being exposed. The study at hand aims to study the relationship between impostor syndrome and each of self-efficacy and rumination. It also aims to study the role of trait anxiety in the relationship between self-efficacy and impostor syndrome. And aims to study the mediating role of rumination in the relationship between trait anxiety and self-efficacy. along with demographic factors, impostor syndrome was assessed using the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS). Self-efficacy was measured using the short version 10-item General Self-efficacy Scale (GSE). Rumination was assessed using the 8-item Ruminative Response Scale (RRS). And trait anxiety was measured using the specific 5 items from the The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). A total of 130 individuals voluntarily participated in this study. The survey was distributed through a Google Forms link, in which participants were asked to provide their informed consent before accessing the survey. The results revealed that there is a relationship between impostor syndrome and self-efficacy, and between impostor syndrome and rumination. Also, rumination was found to be related to trait-anxiety. However, the results showed that trait anixtey is not a mediating variable in the relationship between self-efficay and impsotor syndrome, as is the case with rumination in the relationship between trait anxiety and self-efficacy.