The Impact of Imposter Syndrome and Perfectionism on Aging Professionals and Comparing with the Early Career Professionals

This study looks at how imposter syndrome and perfectionism affect teachers, focusing on differences between those early in their careers (less than 5 years of experience) and more experienced teachers (5 or more years). The goal was to understand how these feelings and traits vary with experience and how they might impact teachers’ well-being and performance. A total of 170 teachers participated in the study by completing two surveys: the Clance Imposter Syndrome Scale (CISS) and the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS). The results were analysed using statistical tests to compare the two groups. It was found that early-career teachers experience significantly higher levels of imposter syndrome compared to experienced teachers. However, there was no major difference in perfectionism levels, showing that perfectionism is similar across career stages. These findings suggest that newer teachers may struggle more with self-doubt and feelings of not being good enough, likely due to less confidence and experience. In contrast, perfectionism seems to be a personality trait that does not change much over time.