Impostor Syndrome
Recently while scrolling on Instagram and listening to podcasts I’ve come across many people talking about impostor syndrome and it got me thinking on the topic (which, given the subject, I will admit I am no expert in this area). We’ve all heard the term being used, but what is it actually?
According to Psychology Today, “impostor syndrome is a psychological term referring to a pattern of behavior where people doubt their accomplishments and have a persistent, often internalized, fear of being exposed as a fraud.” This fear can lead to procrastination (the individual worries they can’t do the task to the required standard and put it off because of that) or it can lead to overpreparing (giving the task more time and focus than it requires). It was first written about by Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1987 and was theorized to be unique to women; research since then has shown that it appears to affect men and women equally.
There is no clear cut answer on who experiences imposter syndrome and why. Some theories include familial and behavioral causes, but outside factors (environment, discrimination) seem to also play a role. Like most mental health topics, it affects all kinds of people- even those that are seen as successful within their field. And like many mental health topics, it often has associated symptoms that can be debilitating (in this case, it’s frequently associated with anxiety and depression). So, without knowing a cause how can it be addressed? There are several ways we can try to address this:
· If you have a mentor, talk to them. They can help you work through those feelings, especially because there’s a decent chance they’ve gone through the same thing at some point.
o It may also be helpful to talk to a therapist. Impostor syndrome often turns into a cycle of negative thinking, and a therapist can help with breaking that cycle and changing your thought process.
· Know what you know and what you don’t. Taking stock of your skills and the topics you have knowledge of will help you to see the areas in which you exceed. No one knows everything, and doing this will let you see the areas you excel in so you can be confident in that. And while it might seem counterintuitive, knowing what you don’t know can give you confidence too.
o On the same note, know that it’s okay not to know something even if it’s in your “area”. If you’ve just started a new job, new part of school, etc. you got there because of your knowledge, but there is a learning curve with new things. Give yourself grace and time- and ask for help if you need it.
· Give yourself permission to do a task well instead of perfectly. No one is perfect and that means not everything we do will be perfect, which is okay.
· Give yourself permission to ask for help. Again, no one is perfect and we all need help from time to time.
When I’m worried about how long it will be until everyone realizes I’m a fraud and don’t know anything, I find it helpful to remember what Tina Fey said on the subject: “The beauty of the impostor syndrome is you vacillate between extreme egomania, and a complete feeling of: ‘I’m a fraud! Oh god, they’re on to me! I’m a fraud!’ So you just try to ride the egomania when it comes and enjoy it, and then slide through the idea of fraud. Seriously, I’ve just realized that almost everyone is a fraud, so I try not to feel too bad about it.” —The Independent, March 2010”.
References
https://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2013/11/fraud
http://time.com/5312483/how-to-deal-with-impostor-syndrome/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-women/201809/the-reality-imposter-syndrome
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-impostor-syndrome/?redirect=1