A study of psychiatrists in Turkey found a strong correlation between the imposter phenomenon on one side, and burnout, maladaptive perfectionism, and compassion fatigue on the other. In other words, psychiatrists who experienced burnout, compassion fatigue, and maladaptive perfectionism were more likely to doubt their abilities and fear being exposed as frauds despite objective evidence of competence. The research was published in BMC Psychiatry.
The imposter phenomenon refers to a persistent feeling of intellectual or professional fraudulence despite clear evidence of competence and achievement. Individuals experiencing it tend to attribute their own success to luck, effort, or external factors rather than ability. It was first described by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in the late 1970s.
The phenomenon is common among high-achieving individuals, particularly in competitive academic or professional environments. People with imposter feelings fear being exposed as incompetent by others. These feelings can coexist with objectively strong performance and external recognition. The imposter phenomenon is associated with anxiety, stress, and reduced job or academic satisfaction. It is not a mental disorder but a psychological pattern of self-evaluation. Social comparison, perfectionism, and minority or outsider status can intensify imposter experiences.
Study author Nur Nihal Türkel and her colleagues wanted to explore the relationship between the imposter phenomenon, burnout, and maladaptive perfectionism among mental health professionals. They note that because maladaptive perfectionism and the imposter phenomenon both stem from elevated expectations and feelings of inadequacy, they are likely to be related. Maladaptive perfectionism is a pattern of striving for unrealistically high standards accompanied by excessive self-criticism, fear of failure, and distress when those standards are not met.
Study participants were 160 psychiatrists from Turkey between 24 and 70 years of age. Study authors recruited them by sending emails to psychiatrists registered with the Turkey Psychiatric Association. The participants’ average age was approximately 34 years. 69% were women. 46% of them worked in university hospitals, and 37% worked in public hospitals.
Study participants completed an online survey that included assessments of burnout, compassion satisfaction, and compassion fatigue (the Professional Quality of Life Scale), perfectionism (the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised), and the imposter phenomenon (the Clance Imposter Scale).
Results showed that individuals with a more pronounced imposter phenomenon tended to have more pronounced maladaptive perfectionism, compassion fatigue, and burnout. They also tended to experience lower compassion satisfaction and to be younger on average.
“This study found that burnout and maladaptive perfectionism impact the imposter phenomenon in psychiatrists. To mitigate the effects of the imposter phenomenon on mental health professionals, societal norms that contribute to burnout and perfectionism must be reassessed,” the study authors concluded.
The study contributes to the scientific understanding of the psychological underpinnings of the imposter phenomenon. However, it should be noted that all study data was collected using self-reports, leaving room for reporting bias to have affected the results. Additionally, the cross-sectional design of the study does not allow any causal inferences to be derived from the results.
The paper, “The imposter phenomenon in psychiatrists: relationships among compassion fatigue, burnout, and maladaptive perfectionism,” was authored by Nur Nihal Türkel, Ahmet Selim Başaran, Hande Gazey, and İrem Ekmekçi Ertek.
