Parentification in relation to Imposter Phenomenon and Imposter Syndrome: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract Book of the 19th International Conference on Humanities, Psychology and Social Sciences

Year: 2026

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Parentification in relation to Imposter Phenomenon and Imposter Syndrome: A Comparative Analysis

Nehchal Sandhu, Prof. Dr. Harprit Kaur

ABSTRACT:

Imposter Phenomenon & Syndrome are often used interchangeably, however there is a striking difference between the two. They both essentially explain a false belief engraved in the mind of an individual who find it nearly impossible to give due credit to their hard -work and capabilities for attaining success in life, despite objective proof and evidence for the same. Instead, they credit the success to external factors of destiny, faith etc, leading individuals to experience “impostersim” feelings. To differentiate between Phenomenon & Syndrome, the latter is more intense by nature, effecting the everyday functioning of an individual. Parentification is a type of Pseudo-parenting, where children are often allocated responsibilities that ideally are to be performed by the parents of the house. Thus, a type of “reversed parenting” is observed which creates a massive burden on the shoulders of the parentified child. This study aimed to analyze the differences in Parentification across the two groups. Significant qualitative & quantitative differences were observed in the relationship of Imposter Phenomenon & Syndrome. Data was collected on 324 unmarried participants from Punjab, India and The Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale (Clance, 1985) & The Parentification Inventory (Hooper & Doehler, 2011) were used to measure the variables. The implications and conclusions of the study would be discussed at the time of presentation.

Keywords: Imposterism ; Parentified; Pseudo-parenting; Reversed Parenting; Syndrome