Negative emotions, social isolation, and impostor syndrome in the pursuit of professional mastery in research universities

ABSTRACT

This investigation explores how the academic development influence the emotions and psychological states of university professors, particularly during two ceremonies of passage (graduate school and the tenure process). Thirty-two narrative interviews were conducted with tenure-track and tenured faculty members from the Social Sciences, Humanities, and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. The research site was a research university in the western United States. Findings suggest symbolic aspects internalized during graduate school enhanced the normalization of social isolation, impostor syndrome, and negative emotions as common characteristics of the academic profession across disciplines. Recommendations for academic developers are addressed.

KEYWORDS:

• Academic development
• culture of emotions
• impostor syndrome
• mental health
• social isolation

Acknowledgments

Thank you to my participants who made this project possible. Special thanks to the rich feedback provided by the reviewers and editors, to Dr. John Levin who nurtured my research interest in academics, to Dr. Jan Stets who introduced me carefully into identity theory, and to my dear friend and mentor Dr. Ann Cheney. Finally, thank you to my beloved husband Donatien Laeuffer for all his apapachos.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Evelyn Vázquez

Evelyn Vázquez, Ph.D., is a Mexican community psychologist with research interests in psychosocial development and emotional well-being of academics; health equity and social justice in higher education; qualitative research; and community-based participatory research in public health.