Date
6-17-2026
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)
Chair
Sarah Walsh
Keywords
Black women, numerical minority, imposter syndrome, intersectionality, Social Identity Theory, Black Feminist Thought
Disciplines
Counseling
Recommended Citation
Pittman, Maya Mitchell, "Shadowed Success: The Dual Burden of Imposter Syndrome and Isolation for Black Women in Elite Professional Environments" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8569.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8569
Abstract
The purpose of this phenomenological study will be to examine the lived experiences of high achieving Black women who face imposter syndrome due to their numerical minority status in their professional workplaces. In a quest to establish sustainable psychological safety and support, this study will further illuminate the impact that isolation, decreased representation and increased visibility have on the psychological experience of imposter syndrome and absence of belonging plaguing this group in their workplace. The theories guiding this study are Social Identity Theory (SIT) (Tajfel & Turner, 1979) and Black Feminist Thought (BFT) (Collins, 2000). While SIT asserts that one’s overall understanding of self and their abilities are influenced by the level to which they are represented, feel a sense of belonging and experience the internal and externa dynamics of the group according to Tajfel and Turner (1979), it creates a context on which to investigate the psychological impact of being in the professional workplace as a minority in demographic and number. This study will focus on the joined factors of racial identity and workplace isolation in seeking to understand participant experience. Additionally, utilizing BFT highlights the intersectionality component of this study. This framework considers how the understanding of what Black woman in particular face allow for a more expansive knowledge of resilience in the face of isolation. Examining the topic with the support of the BFT framework allows for the findings to have greater impact on what could be deemed a perpetual societal issue. Data for this study will be collected through journal entries containing the inner thoughts of participant experiences, one-on-one virtual interviews conducted through open-ended questions given by the researcher, and virtual focus groups bringing the participants together, analysis can confidently take place. Additional documentation that includes the diversity, equity, and inclusion policies of each of the participants organizations will yield more comprehensive examination. The strategies used to analyze the data collected in this study will include epoche by bracketing, memoing that will occur before and throughout data collection, and more formal analysis to include coding, textual and structural description and synthesizing. Once the themes of my study have been identified this study will ultimately provide information that aims to create more psychologically safe and supportive high level work environments for Black women on an organizational level.
