ABSTRACT

This study explored how the impostor phenomenon emerges in the parenting practices of mothers with early childhood teaching experience and examined the strategies they use to cope with it. Using Strauss and Corbin’s grounded theory methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 South Korean mothers with professional backgrounds in early childhood education. Analysis yielded 76 concepts, 42 subcategories, and 23 categories, revealing that impostor experiences manifested across cognitive, emotional, and behavioral dimensions. Cognitively, the participants exhibited self-doubt, self-devaluation, and self-criticism; emotionally, they reported shame and emotional dissonance; and behaviorally, they demonstrated overworking and masking behaviors as adaptive responses to social expectations and perfectionistic tendencies. Seven coping strategies-self-reflection, communication with one’s spouse, role distinction, self-compassion, adjusting one’s standards, mindfulness, and selfconfidence- were identified as effective in alleviating impostor-related distress. Three subtypes of impostor experience in parenting were also identified: perfectionist, soloist, and superwoman, each reflecting distinct challenges and coping mechanisms. These findings reveal how professional identity, maternal roles, and sociocultural factors interact to shape impostor feelings and offer practical implications for developing culturally responsive parenting support programs that enhance emotional well-being and role balance among mothers with early childhood teaching experience.

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