Do you feel like an imposter?
Have you ever thought? ‘I’m in over my head and they are going to find out’.
Have you wrestled with feeling like you don’t belong?
Have you felt like a complete fraud and that everyone was going to find out that you didn’t deserve your accomplishments?
If so, you are not alone and you’ve probably experienced imposter syndrome. And according to research, about 70 % of us do at some stage!
Impostor syndrome (also known as impostor phenomenon, impostorism, fraud syndrome or the impostor experience) is a psychological pattern in which one doubts one's accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a "fraud".
Imposter syndrome was first identified more than 40 years ago by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes and It can affect both men and women.
They investigated the frequency of this internal battle by interviewing 150 high-achieving women, all of whom had been recognised for their excellence from colleagues or academic achievement. Even though they had received all this external validation these women could not internally acknowledge their accomplishments. They explained their achievements were down to luck or other overestimating their abilities or intelligence.
They also identified that women who showcased symptoms of imposter syndrome had related symptoms of depression, anxiety and low – self-confidence. Later research has identified also that it is more prevalent in women than men.
Imposter syndrome can happen in various settings. These could be
A new environment
Academic settings
In the workplace
In social interactions.
Imposter syndrome is often experienced as well by entrepreneurs and business owners.
I think this subject is particularly relevant at the moment because of the number of people who are working from home alone due to the pandemic and therefore not receiving any validation from colleagues, bosses or connections. Imposter syndrome is often experienced as well by entrepreneurs and business owners who work on their own.
Since discovery of imposter syndrome has been widely studied. One expert on the subject, Dr Valerie Young, through her research, has categorised several types of the syndrome in her book. “ The Secret thoughts of successful women: Why capable people suffer from imposter syndrome and how to thrive in spite of it”
Dr Valerie Young identified 5 types. You may be able to recognise yourself in one or more of these. I certainly can!
1. The Perfectionist – Well imposter syndrome and perfectionism were made for each other. Because perfectionists are high achievers they often set impossible goals and then struggle with disappointment and self-doubt when they don’t achieve them.
2. The superwoman/ man - These people are convinced they are frauds so they push themselves harder and harder to match up to others. These types often experience burn out because they are often workaholics and have little time for relaxation.
3. The Natural Genius – These people believe that should be a natural genius and since they need to spend a long time to master something then they can’t be any good at it.
4. The Rugged Individualist – These people feel that by asking other for help would be seen as a sign of weakness and expose them as a fraud.
5. The Expert - Experts measure their competence on ‘how much’ or ‘what’ they know about a subject and their inner belief is they will never know enough and will be exposed as a fraud for not knowing enough.
This is all very well but how do we get out of this perpetual circle of inner self-doubt which can powerfully affect our inner confidence, self- belief and our opportunity to flourish and share our genius with the world.
Here are some easy to overcome Imposter Syndrome.
1. Talk about these feelings with a trusted friend.
2. Separate feelings from fact.
3. Own your accomplishments
4. Surround yourself with people who support you.
5. Develop a new script. Be kind to yourself always. You can do this in many ways. Either by repeating affirmations daily or by writing down and reminding yourself of all your accomplishments. Remember validation from yourself is more important than from others.
6. Don’t be scared to fail. Failure is part of the success and will help you reach your potential.
7. Visualise success
8. Realise that challenges are an opportunity to grow and learn and not a sign of being a fraud
9 Realise that asking for help is not a sign of weakness and it is a sign of strength and helps build good relationships too.
10. Celebrate your wins -reward yourself every day for big and small wins.
What is your experience with Imposter Syndrome? Can you identify yourself in any of these 5 types? What have you done to overcome it?
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