Perfectionism and impostor phenomenon among undergraduate music education majors

Music students and music teachers are subject to a variety of stressors that can negatively affect their health and well-being. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the incidence of perfectionism and impostor phenomenon (IP) among undergraduate music education majors. A secondary purpose was to examine the degree to which perfectionist tendencies (self-oriented perfectionism, other-oriented perfectionism, and socially prescribed perfectionism) and selected demographic variables (gender identity, year in school, first-generation college student status, enrollment in a university honors program, and music education focus) predict IP. Participants ( N = 135) were a convenience sample of undergraduate music education majors in the United States who completed the Hewitt and Flett Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale and the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale. Results of descriptive and multiple regression analyses revealed that all three subscales of perfectionism and first-generation college student status significantly predicted IP scores. We interpret these findings based on prior literature on perfectionism and IP, and we offer recommendations for ways that university music faculty can support their students to reduce the negative effects associated with perfectionism and IP.