We now have several DBA cohorts underway at Trevecca. We have lost more students so far than I would have thought. I attributed it to COVID-19 issues. I should have known better. After talking to a number of students, I finally realized we have a “Doctoral Imposter Syndrome” (DIS) issue. I know this issue well and it is well-documented. I just don’t know why I didn’t see it earlier.
The Doctoral Imposter Syndrome (DIS) arises when doctoral students do not feel they are good enough to be doctoral students or to have a doctoral degree. Many doctoral students or recent graduates feel they should be “experts” in their field. James Hayton, PhD, is a former physicist and now works as a doctoral coach. In his article, “How to cope with PhD imposter syndrome,” Hayton says, “It's healthier, and more accurate, to think of a PhD as a beginner's qualification.”
I still remember how shocked I was when the dean of my doctoral program at Ohio State University said that our dissertations should be “the worst research you ever do.” Now, you have to know that this professor was very serious, very stern, and almost scary. He was not saying that our dissertation research should be poor, but rather that we were just beginners.
I remember sitting in my doctoral classes, thinking I was the dumbest person in the room. I did not have the same master’s degrees as the other people, and they all seemed so smart. As it turned out, I did fine and eventually graduated.
As a doctoral student, you may feel unsure of yourself at times. That doesn’t mean you are inferior to your classmates. It just means you are normal. In fact, many people, after graduation continue to have DIS because they are not national experts in their fields of study.
My advice is to not ignore your feelings of self-doubt but to just put them into perspective. People have asked me, “how did you get a doctoral degree?” I say, “I got admitted, and I didn’t quit.” You can do the same. Getting a doctoral degree is getting your next degree without quitting. It doesn’t mean that we are going to be on TV next week as an expert.
NOTE: Most of you have heard of APA. It stands for American Psychological Association. Yes, they are a psychology group who have developed research writing standards. They have a blog posting entitled, “Are you suffering from imposter syndrome?”
Feel free to reach out to me at any time if you are struggling with your feelings. I am more than happy to listen to your concerns.
Blessings, Rick (yes, in real life, my name is Rick, not Dr. Mann)
