Imposter Syndrome: What It Is and How To Get Rid of It

Imposter syndrome was discovered relatively recently, in 1978, by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes. The researchers found that successful women in academia often felt out of place. Their own merit seemed to them to be the result of luck. Initially, it was thought that only women were susceptible to this condition. However, subsequent studies have shown that the phenomenon occurs among men as well. Moreover, not only successful professionals are subject to imposture, but also novice employees and students. In the first lesson of the course, you will learn what imposter syndrome is, how to recognise it, and why it occurs. You will also look at the types of people with this syndrome.

In addition, you will be able to take a test for imposter syndrome. You will also receive a guide for handling negative attitudes.

What do you picture when you hear the phrase "successful person"? Maybe it is a self-confident man in a nice business suit next to an expensive car, or an exemplary family man and a father with many children? Or perhaps you envision a scientist who has won an award for his developments, or a top manager of multimillion-dollar projects? Either way, the image of "success" is different for each of us. Everyone sees their own values in it. It is important to realise that many of the above images are inspired by pop culture and the so-called "American dream" — the ideal of human opportunity and liberty, including financial freedom. But as early as the beginning of the 1990s, researchers noticed that there was something globally wrong with the idea of success, which implies the concept of the American dream. They realised that in this case, success is equated with the availability of money and other riches, which is what people mostly strive for. However, this does not reflect well on the well-being of the people themselves. In this lesson, you will learn more about the cost of our pursuit of success.

Additionally, you will discover how to rest to be productive and learn how to use the Eisenhower Matrix to set priorities. You will also practise creating a balance wheel to help you assess how satisfied you are with the state of affairs in different areas of your life.

In the last lesson, you learnt about toxic productivity. Now you realise that it leads to a loss of motivation and automatic completion of tasks. But have you ever been in a situation where you are unable to get to work at all, or where you put things off so much that you have to do everything at the last minute? Or maybe you've had a situation where you have sabotaged your workflow, for example, by not sending a completed report on time? Self-sabotage and procrastination tend to be frequent companions of imposter syndrome. In this lesson, you will learn how to recognise these patterns in your behaviour and how to deal with them.

Additionally, you will learn the Pomodoro time management technique and get a list of apps to help you fight procrastination. You will also find out what "self-concept" is and get to learn how to work with it.

One of the Oscar and Golden Globe nominees and winner of several golden statuettes, Meryl Streep once said: "I don't know how to act anyway." After a few lessons in our course, you've probably picked up on the warning bell in her words, indicating possible imposter syndrome. However, the actress herself may not realise it, having lived in this state for most of her life. It's hard to say for sure what internal attitudes prevent Meryl Streep from recognising her own successes, but in this lesson you'll learn about some of the cognitive distortions often found in "imposters" and how to get rid of them.

Additionally, you will be able to study a list of cognitive distortions to track your own. You will also discover how to track your achievements through a special exercise.

Guilt, stress, and fear are ever-present companions of imposter syndrome. People with this syndrome may feel guilty about taking time off work or not doing what they think is good enough. They often work overtime, denying themselves days off and holidays, and the constant stress worsens their mental and physical health. And, of course, the main attribute of imposter syndrome is the fear of exposure and terror at the thought of others recognising your weaknesses. It is not easy to live in such a state, but it can be changed by learning the simplest techniques of mental self-regulation. In this lesson, you will find out what they are.

Additionally, you will study effective stress management techniques.