Black Imposterism: Naming & Combating Imposter Syndrome in Student Government Associations Across the South

Author

Joshua Mannery, University of MississippiFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-1-2021

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Political Science

First Advisor

Julie Wronski

Second Advisor

Conor Dowling

Third Advisor

Ethel Scurlock

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Beginning in 1978 with its coining by Clance and Imes, imposter syndrome (IP) has been used to describe feelings of unfounded fraudulence, low self-esteem, and low self-efficacy in women, minority groups, and underrepresented populations. The phenomenon of imposterism persists not only in academic spaces, but in professional, medical, and any other areas where a feeling of competition can exist. Many empirical studies have observed the factors that contribute to university students and their development of the physiological effect, but one concentration that has received little to no application is how it develops within a student government, and methods in which organizations can decrease it. Elected and appointed student leaders from across the South have shared their own experiences with imposter syndrome and reflect the capacity SGAs have in combating its prevalence.

Recommended Citation

Mannery, Joshua, "Black Imposterism: Naming & Combating Imposter Syndrome in Student Government Associations Across the South" (2021). Honors Theses. 1922.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/1922

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