LibraryScenariosWhen imposter syndrome meets class difference
Scenario

When imposter syndrome meets class difference

I'm the only person in my PhD program who grew up poor and I spend more energy pretending to belong than actually learning.

Juana
Online
The coach is replying

More people experience this than they realize.

What we've seen

The exhausting performance required to navigate spaces where your background is an invisible barrier to natural belonging.

Ideas that help explain it
Worth thinking about

“Where Are You with Identity and community — who we are in belonging?”

If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.