The Imposter Phenomenon, Self-Silencing, And Social Interaction Anxiety Among Early-Stage Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Adapting to the college life can be challenging in terms of academics and an altogether new atmosphere that all together put undergraduate freshman students under psychological stress. This research emphasizes the impact Impostor Phenomenon and Self-Silencing have on the level of Social Interaction Anxiety in freshmen. The male-female ratio in this sample of 800 students is a fair representation of the student population from the point of view of both gender and program of studies. The sample was made of an equal number of males and females studying either psychology or biology. The following instruments were utilized in the data collection process: Leary Impostorism Scale (LIS), Silencing the Self Scale (SSS), and Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS). The obtained statistics showed moderate scores in Impostorism, Self-Silencing, and Social Anxiety. The results of the Pearson correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between Impostorism and Self-Silencing, as well as between the two independent variables and the dependent one, i.e. Social Anxiety. The results of the regression analysis indicated that Impostorism and Self-Silencing are independently strong predictors of Social Interaction Anxiety in the sample investigated.