What is Imposter syndrome?
Imposter syndrome is where a person doubts their abilities to the point where they believe they are frauds. Therefore, it is believed to affects those who are high-achievers disproportionately as they believe they are not deserving of their success. The origin of this phenomenon was first identified by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978. In this paper they theorised that imposter syndrome was something that uniquely affected women. However, subsequent research has found that it can affect anyone from all areas of life.
Signs of someone with imposter syndrome
There are a number of signs that are commonly displayed by those with imposter syndrome. This includes:
- Attributing your success to external factors such as luck
- Self-sabotage
- Self-doubt
- Harsh on own performance
- Cannot assess skills and competencies in a realistic way
- Often setting extremely difficult goals and feeling disappointed when they are not met
- Working harder than you need to
Causes
The development of imposter syndrome can be brought on by the contribution of several factors.
Period of transition
When a person is going through a transitional period such as starting university or a new job, this can trigger imposter syndrome. This is because a common thing about going through this phase is the pressure and expectation to succeed. When this is combined with the likelihood that you are inexperienced in either of these new positions it can cause you to feel as if you are not good enough to be where you are.
Family
There is a belief that a person’s upbringing and their relationship with other family members can contribute to the development of imposter syndrome. Parents set high standards and expectations which can result in the feeling that your grades and achievements are not good enough for them. This can be exacerbated if you have a sibling that throughout their academic life has set a very high bar. The result of this is living in their shadow, desperately trying to live up to their achievements. In addition to this if they do not support your achievements or criticise every mistake you make it can lead to the development of imposter feelings in the future. When all of these combine it creates a cycle where the belief that in order to be loved or accepted you need to achieve something becomes internalised.
Personality
There are some personality traits, that if displayed can increase the chances of experiencing imposter syndrome. This includes self-efficacy which is characterised by a person’s belief in their own ability to succeed in a specific situation. If this person scores low in self-efficacy it means they are likely to focus on the negatives of each task. They are also likely to rapidly lose confidence in their own abilities to complete a specific job.
Neuroticism is defined as an individual’s tendency to experience a wide range of negative emotions. A person who is highly neurotic will feel a lot less satisfied with themselves and their lives as a whole. This can increase the chances of experiencing the feelings of being an imposter.
Types of Imposter Syndrome
There are patterns that have evolved in regards to those who experience feelings of being an imposter. These can be characterised into the following categories:
- Perfectionist
- Expert
- Natural genius
- Soloist
- Superhero
Perfectionist
A perfectionist is someone who is never satisfied with their work because they believe there is always an aspect of it that could be done better. This can often result in an increase in the amount of pressure they are putting on themselves which will have a knock-on effect on their anxiety and stress levels. Also, due to the fact that this need for perfection sets an unrealistic goal, they are often not met. When this happens, they begin to criticise the mistakes they have made instead of realising the amount of work they have put in.
Expert
An expert is a person who is never content with their knowledge of a certain subject or field so they are constantly learning new things to improve this. They believe that they should know all the information and the ins and outs of the project they are doing before they start.
Natural genius
This is someone who has succeeded to this point in their life by picking up new skills and pieces of information quite easily. Therefore, when they are faced with something that does not come easily to them, they may begin to feel embarrassed and like a fraud.
Soloist
The individuals who fall into this category are very individualistic and would rather work alone. If they are approached by someone who wishes to help them with their work they will be quickly rejected. This is because they believe that accepting or asking for help is a sign of failure, incompetence or weakness. These feelings can reinforce their thoughts and beliefs of being a fraud.
Superhero
The feelings of inadequacy that comes from imposter syndrome can lead to people pushing themselves to work harder than others around them to prove that they are not imposters.
Addressing Imposter feelings
There are different strategies that can be attempted to resolve these imposter feelings in a more productive way.
Gratitude
Turn the feeling that you are only in the position you are in because of luck into one of gratitude. This can also be done by taking a step back and looking at what you have achieved and accomplished in your life and career.
Acknowledgement
By identifying this pattern of negative thoughts and bringing them to the forefront you are able to achieve several goals. One of these is that by talking to a friend or family member about the thoughts you are experiencing. This can help to get a fresh perspective on the situation. There is also the fact that these imposter feelings can affect everyone at some point in their lives so by opening up to them it can encourage them to do the same.
Reframe
The process of reframing your thoughts involves looking at the pattern of negative thoughts you are having and reframing them in a more productive and positive way. As an example, if a certain project is not completed to the best of your ability instead of making yourself feel worse you could acknowledge that it’s not your best work but you also bring so much more to the table.
You can also reframe the thoughts of weakness that you believe are linked with asking for help. This is because if you continue to work by yourself and not ask for or accept help it can be a hinderance on your own performance as well as the teams. This means that everyone in the team could fail on the task which would reinforce the imposter feelings. It is also important to remember that it is not possible to achieve everything on your own. By having a strong support structure around you they can offer you help and support whilst also validating your strengths.