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Understanding Impostor Syndrome Through a Goffmanesque Lens
Mia Papa Stubbs
; Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu
Sažetak
The purpose of this paper is to apply aspects of Erving Goffman’s theory to demonstrate how the “impostor syndrome”, a popular psychological phenomenon, can be understood in a more sociological way. Goffman’s main concepts, such as front stage, back stage, impression management, and performativity, serve as useful explanatory tools for understanding how and why individuals may start to feel that their achievements are just an act. Goffman’s approach helps place the phenomenon of impostor syndrome within a sociological frame rather than a narrow psychological one. According to Goffman, all social interactions are performances, and impression management is a social practice dependent on and adapted to a particular social context. In broad terms, social actors behave and act differently depending on the norms in a particular cultural, professional, or interactional setting. They also try to maintain a clear division between front stage and back stage, though not always successfully. Goffman shows how feelings of shame or embarrassment occur when performers are unconvinced by their own actions or feel the public views them as “inauthentic” or not belonging. Combining Goffman’s analyses with more macro-approaches, the class, gender, ethnic, and other dimensions of impostor syndrome can be addressed. The paper ends with criticisms of Goffman’s approach and suggestions for further research.
Ključne riječi
performance; Goffman; front stage; back stage; impostor syndrome
Hrčak ID:
348258
URI
Datum izdavanja:
1.12.2025.
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