A self-enhancement model of impostor thoughts at work

Workplace impostor thoughts arise from the perception that others overestimate one’s competence at work. Previous research has demonstrated the negative consequences of holding impostor thoughts at work, yet theory and research suggest it is also possible to benefit from such thoughts. Drawing on self-enhancement theory, we proposed and tested a conceptual model to account for the potentially positive impact of impostor thoughts on interpersonal helping via prosocial motivation. We proposed that one’s level of prevention focus would moderate this relationship chain, such that the positive relationships would be more pronounced when one has a lower (vs. higher) prevention focus. Findings from a multiwave, multisource field survey we conducted with 286 Chinese employees and their paired colleagues supported these hypotheses. Our study challenges the notion that imposter thoughts are uniformly detrimental and reveals pathways through which a beneficial effect on interpersonal helping may occur.