Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8942-1796

Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

Chambers College of Business and Economics

Department

Management

Committee Chair

Xiaoxiao Hu

Committee Member

Jeffery D. Houghton

Committee Member

Tianxu Chen

Committee Member

Yujie (Jessie) Zhan

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the "interpersonal dark side" of workplace impostor thoughts

(WIT), exploring how the internal experience of feeling like a professional fraud translates into

the social exclusion of colleagues through defensive ostracism. While prior literature has

extensively documented the intrapersonal distress associated with the impostor phenomenon,

such as anxiety and burnout this research addresses a critical gap by examining how these

internal states drive behaviors that harm the organizational social fabric. Drawing upon an

integration of Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and Cognitive Dissonance Theory

(CDT), I propose and test a dual-pathway model. The first pathway (COR) suggests that WIT

necessitates taxing surface acting to maintain a mask of competence, which depletes self-

regulatory resources and leads to withdrawal. The second pathway (CDT) posits that the

discrepancy between internal self-assessment and perceived external praise leads to cognitive

dissonance which creates a motivational drive to avoid others who reinforce this dissonance. To

test this model, I employed a dual-study design. Study 1 (N=481) utilized a between-subjects

experimental design to establish causality through a validated recall-and-writing task. Results

from Study 1 supported both mediating pathways and revealed a significant suppression effect:

while the psychological costs of acting and dissonance drive ostracism, the core state of WIT

may naturally prompt an initial "other-focused" prosocial intent. Study 2 (N=357) utilized a

three-wave, time-lagged longitudinal field design to establish temporal precedence and external

validity. The longitudinal results reaffirmed full mediation, showing that the effect of WIT on

ostracism is entirely explained by the intervening mediators. Most significantly, the research

examined self-leadership as a boundary condition. Contrary to the hypothesized buffering effect,

the results uncovered a "Self-Leadership Paradox". In Study 2, high self-leadership actually

strengthened the relationship between WIT and ostracism through cognitive dissonance. This

suggests that the heightened reflective awareness associated with self-influence strategies can

paradoxically act as a stress-amplifier, making identity-competence discrepancies more salient

and intensifying the drive toward defensive isolation

Download

Share

COinS