Investigating the Relation of Imposter and Defense Mechanisms with Self-concept
Abstract
Reza Pourhosein and Bafraw Alizadeh
Imposter is a motivational syndrome for people who succeed. The present study was aimed at investigating the relation of imposter and defense mechanism with self-concept among M.A./M.SC. Non-medicine male and female students of Tehran University. In so doing, 400 students (218 boys and 182 girls) from different fields of study in the four main branches of humanities, sciences, technical engineering, and art were selected through a stratified random method. They were asked to respond to the imposter syndrome scale of Clancy (1978), the defense mechanisms scale of Andrews, Singh, and Bond, and the 10-item self-concept scale of Pourhosein. Data analysis was conducted through statistics methods including bivariate analysis of variance, Pearson correlation, regression, and t-test. The results of the study indicated that there was a significant relation between imposter variables and defense mechanisms (P<0.0001). They also showed that there was a significant positive relation between imposter and undeveloped defense and neurotic mechanisms and there was a significant negative relation between imposter and developed defense mechanisms. A high level of imposter had a significant negative correlation with self-concept. However, in regard with the genders, t-test indicated no significant correlation between imposter and self concept in different gender groups.