Klinik Psikoloji Dergisi, vol.8, no.1, pp.55-70, 2024 (Peer-Reviewed Journal)
The Impostor Phenomenon is defined as the inability of individuals to internalize their achievements, believing they are fraudulent. The first aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of
the Impostor Phenomenon in women in Turkey. The second aim of the present study is to describe
the demographic risk factors of the Impostor Phenomenon. A total of 677 women who work or are
undergraduate/graduate students in one of Turkey's four metropolitan cities (Ankara, Bursa, Istanbul, and Izmir) participated in the research. The data were collected online using the snowball technique. The ages of the participants ranged from 18 to 65 years (Mage = 31.36, SD = 9.67). The
Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale was used to measure the Impostor Phenomenon, and the Demographic Information Form was used to collect demographic characteristics. The findings showed
that 65.73% of the participants had feelings of fraud at least at a moderate level. About 3% of them
suffered from the Impostor Phenomenon intensely. In addition, it was found that the Impostor Phenomenon increased as age and duration of occupation decreased. When age was controlled for, it
was revealed that low socio-economic status, postgraduate studentship, and postgraduate degree
were associated with increased Impostor Phenomenon levels. These findings are discussed in light
of the literature on the Impostor Phenomenon and mental health.