Reconceptualising the Imposter Phenomenon: What a Whole Trait Perspective may Offer

The imposter phenomenon is characterised by feelings of intellectual and professional fraudulence (Clance & Imes, 1978). Like most of the personality literature, IP research predominantly relies on cross-sectional designs and trait-like terminology, implicitly suggesting it is stable (Bravata et al., 2019). However, recent studies indicate that situational factors may also play a role, implying IP may be more dynamic in nature (Canning et al., 2019; Gardner et al., 2019). This has led to inconsistencies regarding whether IP should be viewed as a stable trait or a variable emotional state, yet no study has explicitly tested this. In alignment with Fleeson and Jayawickreme's (2015) Whole Trait Theory, we argue that these views need not be mutually exclusive. Our study employed Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM) to measure both state and trait IP, wellbeing, and emotionality in a sample of 175 participants over four days. Findings revealed that State IP can fluctuate significantly within hours, can mirror patterns of variability found in emotion research (Houben et al,, 2015), and is largely predicted by emotionality. Implications about the suitability of Whole Trait Theory as a path forward for the IP literature and the utility of within-subject variability in broader personality research are discussed.