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What is Imposter Syndrome?

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Imposter Syndrome is loosely defined as doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud. It disproportionately affects high-achieving people, who find it difficult to accept their accomplishments.

To put it simply, imposter syndrome is the experience of feeling like a phony - you feel as though at any moment you are going to be found out as a fraud - like you don't belong where you are, and you only got there through your luck.

It can affect anyone no matter their social status, work background, skill level, or degree of expertise.

This term was first used by psychologists Suzanna Imes and Pauline Rose Clance in the 1970s. When the concept of Imposter Syndrome was introduced, it was originally thought to apply mostly to high-achieving women. Since then, it has been recognized as more widely experienced.

Characteristics of Imposter Syndrome

  1. An inability to realistically assess your competence and skills.
  2. Attributing your success to external factors.
  3. Berating your performance.
  4. Fear that you won't live up to expectations.
  5. Overachieving
  6. Sabotaging your success
  7. Self-doubt
  8. Setting very challenging goals, and feeling disappointed when you fall short.

While for some people, imposter syndrome can fuel feelings of motivation to achieve, this usually comes at a cost in the form of constant anxiety. You might over-prepare or work much harder than necessary to make sure that nobody finds out that you are a fraud.

The problem with imposter syndrome is that the experience of doing well at something does nothing to change your beliefs. Even though you might sail through a performance or have lunch with co-workers, the thought still nags in your head,

Do I deserve this?

The more you accomplish, the more you just feel like a fraud. It is as though you cannot internalize your experience of success.

How to identify Imposter Syndrome?
While Imposter Syndrome is not a recognized disorder, it is not uncommon. It is estimated that 70% of people will experience at least one episode of this phenomenon in their life.

If you think you might have imposter syndrome, ask yourself the following questions;

  • Do you suffer internally over even the smallest mistakes or flaws in your work?
  • Do you attribute your success to luck or outside factors?
  • Are you very insensitive to even constructive criticism?
  • Do you feel like you will be found out as a fraud?
  • Do you downplay your expertise, even in areas where you are genuinely more skilled than others?

If you often find yourself like you are a fraud or an imposter, it may be helpful to talk to a therapist. The negative thinking, self-doubt, and self-sabotage that often characterize imposter syndrome can affect many areas of your life.

Causes of Imposter Syndrome
We know that certain factors can contribute to a more general experience of imposter syndrome. In the earliest studies on this phenomenon, researchers found that imposter syndrome was connected to factors including early family dynamics and gender stereotypes.

Family Upbringing
Research suggests that the upbringing and family dynamics can plan an important role. Parenting styles characterized by being controlled or overprotective may contribute to the development of imposter syndrome in children.

For example, you might have come from a family that highly valued achievement or had parents who flipped back and forth between offering praise and being critical.

Research suggests that people who come from families characterized by high levels of conflict with low amounts of support may be more likely to experience imposter syndrome.

New Opportunities
We also know that entering a new role can trigger imposter syndrome. For example, starting a new college, or getting a high-paying job.

It appears that imposter syndrome is often the most common when people are going through transitions and trying new things. The pressure to achieve and succeed combined with a lack of experience can trigger feelings of inadequacy in these new roles and settings.

Types of Imposter Syndrome
Imposter syndrome can appear in several different ways. A few different types of imposter syndrome may include:

  1. The Perfectionist: Perfectionists are never satisfied and always feel that their work could be better. Rather than focus on their strengths, they tend to fixate on any flaws or mistakes. This often leads to a great deal of self-pressure and high amounts of anxiety.
  2. The Superhero: Because these individuals feel inadequate, they feel compelled to push themselves to work as hard as possible.
  3. The Expert: These individuals are always trying to learn more and are never satisfied with their level of understanding. Even though they are often highly skilled, they underrate their expertise.
  4. The Natural Genius: These individuals set excessively lofty goals for themselves, and then feel crushed when they don't succeed on their first try.
  5. The Soloist: These people tend to be very individualistic and prefer to work alone. Self-worth often stems from their productivity, so they often reject offers of assistance. they tend to see asking for help as a sign of weakness or incompetence.

How to cope with Imposter Syndrome?
To get past imposter syndrome, you need to check if you are self-doubting yourself or not. To move past these feelings of self-doubt, you need to become comfortable confronting some of those deeply ingrained beliefs you hold about yourself.

This exercise can be hard because you might not even realize that you hold them, but here are some ways you that can use them:

  • Share your feelings: Talk to other people about how you are feeling. Irrational beliefs tend to fester when they are hidden and not talked about.
  • Try to help others in your situation: Although this might seem counterintuitive to you, helping others facing issues like yours, you can clear out your mind too.
  • Assess your abilities: If you have long-held beliefs about your incompetence in social and performance situations, make a realistic assessment of your abilities. For example, if you feel like you are not capable of the project that you are appraised of, start giving exams and test that will give you a certificate to prove your abilities to yourself.
  • Stop comparing: Every time you compare yourself to others in a social situation, you will find some fault with yourself that fuels the feeling of not being good enough or not belonging. Instead, during conversations, focus on listening to what the other person is saying. Be genuinely interested in learning more.
  • Use social media moderately: We know that the overuse of social media may be related to feelings of inferiority. If you try to portray an image on social media that doesn't match who you are or that is impossible to achieve, it will only make your feelings of being a fraud worse.

 

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