Impostor Syndrome

What is impostor syndrome?

Impostor syndrome is a psychological condition in which people struggle to acknowledge their accomplishments and successes, which leads to feelings of insecurity, self-doubt and negative self-thoughts. Essentially, they often attribute their success to luck or external factors rather than their skills, making it difficult for them to view themselves as competent or deserving compared to their peers. This cognitive distortion fosters negative thought patterns and can lead to unfair self-treatment. Impostor syndrome manifests as a fear of being exposed as a fraud, leading to chronic stress, anxiety, identity crises, difficulties with failure, and harsh self-criticism. At its core, this syndrome involves the fear that others will discover the "true" person and feel disappointed.

Impostor syndrome was first recognised in the 1970s by American psychology professor Pauline Clance and clinical psychologist Suzanne Imes. Their research primarily examined high-achieving women across various fields who faced self-esteem challenges despite their accomplishments, leading to the belief that this phenomenon was limited to women. Even today, statistics suggest whether it is to be believed, that women experience impostor syndrome two to three times more often than men. Nevertheless, contemporary psychologists realise that it affects both genders. This perceived discrepancy is largely due to men being less inclined to acknowledge feelings of insecurity or seek therapy. Research reveals that 62% of people in demanding intellectual roles report experiencing impostor syndrome, underscoring its widespread nature across various sectors.

Factors leading to its emergence and growth

What causes impostor syndrome? Firstly, it's vital to understand that, even though the term "syndrome" is included in its name, impostor syndrome is not a mental disorder nor a deviation in mental health. Instead, it represents an internal distortion and negative belief that develops in individuals due to traumatic experiences or particular upbringing circumstances, much like other behaviour patterns that form within us.

As a result, some psychologists argue that impostor syndrome develops during childhood, and the reasons below may contribute to it:

• A more accomplished sibling. Parents frequently highlight a more accomplished child, whether a brother, sister, or even a distant relative or friend, who is described as "more accomplished, more competent, more proactive." Consequently, a tendency develops to compare oneself not to one's past self, which represents a healthy form of self-comparison, but instead to others.

• Overpraise and encouragement. When parents excessively highlight a child's successes without addressing their mistakes, the child may become reliant on constant praise and validation. Being frequently told they are exceptionally intelligent, unique, or better than others can inflate their self-esteem. However, this may hinder their resilience in facing real-world problems, where success frequently accompanies failures and setbacks. Lacking early encounters with constructive failure, individuals may struggle to handle disappointment, which can lead to self-criticism and insecurity, even in areas where they truly excel.

• Imposed ambitions. Parents who often urged their children to engage in hobbies they wanted to fulfil vicariously, consistently imposing their desires onto the child. When a person continues to follow someone else's choices in adulthood, like pursuing a career that does not genuinely interest them, they may experience impostor syndrome. Achieving satisfaction can be challenging when involved in activities that one does not genuinely choose.

• High expectations. Parents often expressed sentiments such as, "Yes, you are great, but you could have done better." Common remarks included, "Why get 99 points instead of 100?" or "A gold medal? Why not two?" As a result, individuals often set unrealistic expectations for themselves, which can lead to persistent self-doubt.

• Negative impacts of success. When a person's achievements result in negative experiences, such as ridicule, neglect, or insults from peers, their psyche may develop a skewed connection between "success" and "suffering." This can lead to a reluctance to recognise their success and abilities, fostering a false sense of security.

In adulthood, impostor syndrome develops and becomes more pronounced due to the following factors or cognitive habits:

• Limited self-reflection abilities. This can pose problems for some individuals in recognising and managing their emotions or tracking them. This difficulty hinders their understanding of why they feel a certain way in various situations, often resulting in low emotional intelligence and poor self-regulation skills.

• Unproductive feedback culture. A person who overlooks or avoids feedback and interaction with colleagues and management may become overly reliant on their subjective evaluation of their actions, which can often be inadequate.

• The lack of clear KPIs and a transparent incentive system presents significant challenges. When a person is unable to evaluate their accomplishments in comparison to another employee with similar metrics who receives a promotion or bonus, it can lead to issues with self-esteem and confidence. Therefore, regular feedback and a clear incentive system are imperative for reducing the negative effects of these issues on self-esteem.

• Prolonged teamwork. This can hinder personal evaluation. In a team setting, individuals may struggle to accurately gauge their contributions to the overall results and share accolades with their peers, resulting in a lack of awareness regarding their personal and professional value. Therefore, it is advisable to balance teamwork with independent projects, even on a small scale.

Furthermore, many experts state that people with neurotic personality traits are more likely to experience impostor syndrome; they typically tend to develop neuroses and have a "flexible" psyche. In these individuals, impostor syndrome can emerge unexpectedly due to abrupt changes in feedback, job transitions, financial difficulties, or as a result of other psychological challenges, like generalised anxiety disorder.

In recent years, social media has significantly influenced the spread of impostor syndrome. It promotes the notion of "positive success" while overlooking vital topics such as the inevitable mistakes encountered along the way and the challenges individuals face. By idealising the lives of others, social media leads us to feel that we are "not successful enough," causing us to be ashamed of our achievements rather than taking pride in them.

Categories of individuals experiencing impostor syndrome

Statistics indicate that everyone experiences impostor syndrome at least once during their lifetime. Additionally, although the symptoms are similar and the idea seems straightforward, individuals who feel like "impostors" can vary significantly in their experiences. Psychologist Valerie Young categorises the syndrome into these apparent types:

1. The perfectionist. They are defined by an obsessive pursuit of the most favourable results, coupled with an intense focus on the "perfection" of one's actions and flawlessness. Any perceived shortcomings or minor errors cause a person with this condition to revise their work entirely, reducing satisfaction with the outcome and causing them to overlook the positive aspects of their work.

2. The expert. Requiring thorough expertise and mastery of ability. Individuals often struggle when faced with others' knowledge and competition, particularly in situations that require them to compare their views with those of others or when their own experience falls short of expectations. This can lead to feelings of depression, prompting a focus on learning, which may become overwhelming and anxiety-inducing.

3. The individualist. This type is characterised by total independence and an unwillingness to assign tasks to others or ask for help, even in critical situations. For someone with this syndrome, bringing in outside experts feels like an admission of personal inadequacy.

4. The mastermind. This individual focuses on the ease and speed with which issues are resolved. When effort is required and a task isn't successfully completed on the first try, individuals with this syndrome tend to criticise themselves, experience shame harshly, and perceive this as equivalent to failure.

5. The superhuman. This type reflects a desire for multifunctionality. A person of this nature aims to achieve self-realisation across numerous areas at once, but often feels uncertain and dissatisfied in each. As a result, they transition to a different location or include it in their activities, yet dissatisfaction reappears.

Indicators and manifestations

Impostor syndrome may seem straightforward to recognise, yet many individuals do not realise they experience it. This is partly due to its resemblance to perfectionism, which is both a defining characteristic and a subtype feature of it. However, its manifestations can differ significantly from one person to another. Outside of professional environments, impostor syndrome can also affect a person's personal life, impacting relationships and their interactions with others.

General symptoms

• Believing that you arrived at your current job position through luck and chance, rather than through skill and effort.

• Your self-esteem depends on your performance and skills. For instance, if you've spent the last two weeks inactive or have failed at a new project, your self-esteem can decline significantly.

• The need to work until exhausted to achieve satisfaction (otherwise, satisfaction eludes you).

• Self-sacrifice and a willingness to give your all to an idea, even when it harms other areas of your life, such as your health.

• Experiencing loneliness and a sense of disconnection from society, feeling undervalued and not taken seriously.

• Episodes of depression, heightened anxiety, and various mental conditions.

• Aggression or fear can arise when defending your perspective, stemming from a worry that others may perceive your incompetence and vulnerability.

At work

In professional development and the workplace, impostor syndrome can present itself in these ways:

• Fear arises when tackling unfamiliar tasks.

• Discontent with your completed work.

• Diminishing your accomplishments and feeling insignificant at the first sign of a mistake.

• Overwhelming competition that depletes your internal resources.

• Fear of job loss and workaholism, marked by staying late at work and consistently working overtime.

• Consistently evaluate yourself and contrast your situation with others' (often to your disadvantage).

• Excessive preparation for every task or project can prolong the process and result in burnout.

• The habit of responding with "It's nothing" to praise and downplaying your qualities when others acknowledge them.

• Accepting circumstances where your contributions are credited to others or distributed among the whole team (in these situations, the individual remains unbothered and overlooks the clear unfairness).

• Feeling guilt and shame following success is common. For instance, one might feel embarrassed in front of colleagues when they excel or receive more recognition than their peers, which can prompt them to withdraw from the team. Additionally, this may lead individuals to credit their achievements to others who had no significant contribution.

In relationships

While many believe that impostor syndrome is limited to the workplace, it can also manifest in personal relationships, particularly in romantic or social settings. Therefore, its symptoms in these situations may overlap with, yet also differ from, those previously mentioned.

• Feelings of inferiority. This may appear as the obsessive thought that your loved one might find someone better than you, and inevitably will. You might idolise them while simultaneously undermining yourself and persistently comparing yourself to others, including your partner's favourite celebrities or their friends.

• Focusing on your shortcomings. You might often dwell on your small flaws: a pimple on your nose, anxiously weighing yourself or scrutinising your reflection, reprimanding yourself because the dinner you cooked wasn't delicious or diverse enough, and so on.

• Paranoid fear of betrayal. Impostor syndrome doesn't show up as unfounded jealousy that causes conflicts, but rather as anxiety and persistent thoughts that your partner is cheating or will cheat soon. You may feel solely responsible, thinking that your partner has come to see you as inadequate.

• Doubt often arises in selecting a partner, with questions such as, "Have I picked the right person for my life?" However, this uncertainty reflects the fear that your partner might eventually question whether they made the right choice about you. This can often lead to an unreasonable breakup, driven by an unconscious desire to protect yourself from potential hurt or to allow your partner to explore the possibility of finding someone more suitable than you.

• Anticipating the worst. You live in a state of constant anxiety because your partner may get upset with you, arrive late, forget things, not return calls, or fail to acknowledge your efforts, among other concerns.

As a result, this stress affects your existing relationships and complicates the formation of new ones. A deep, lasting connection becomes nearly impossible when one partner is ensnared in a cycle of persistent self-doubt. This can also hinder emotional expression and lead to conflict, particularly when anxiety about loss and betrayal causes one partner to raise the issue or express jealousy repeatedly. Impostor syndrome in personal relationships often leads to self-sabotage. A person may intentionally or unintentionally provoke their partner or craft scenarios that validate their deepest insecurities, ultimately making it easier to rationalise ending the relationship. Interestingly, this symptom is seldom seen in the workplace. Rather, it frequently appears as a fear of being fired, a powerful urge toward workaholism and a way to reduce the perceived threat of job loss.

Impostor syndrome test

How can you determine if you experience impostor syndrome? Numerous online tests can help you identify its symptoms. A prominent example is the Pauline Clance test, which includes a variety of statements that you can answer with "yes" or "no," depending on how much they resonate with you. Additionally, some experts have expanded the list of statements. We encourage you to review them below.

• You think your present success and position result from a fortunate coincidence or help from others.

• You think that anyone else can accomplish what you have achieved.

• You take longer to blame yourself for minor work mistakes than others do.

• You frequently decline various offers because you believe that you cannot manage them.

• You feel guilty around others as if you are betraying their expectations and perceptions of you.

• You often downplay the cost of your services or consent to perform work for free.

• You find it challenging to identify as an expert in any field.

• You believe that most people around you are smarter, more talented, and more capable than you are.

• You frequently compare yourself to others, which puts you at a disadvantage.

• Sometimes (and even now) you might find yourself wondering: what if you don't actually have any syndrome at all and you're actually an impostor?

Next, count the number of statements you responded "yes" to, and for each "yes," assign one point:

• A score between 3 and 4 suggests that you are experiencing mild impostor syndrome, which minimally impacts your life and well-being. As such, you can readily overcome and conquer it.
• A score of 5-8 points reveals that you have a moderate level of impostor syndrome, which is affecting your work and relationships.
• A score over 8 suggests a significant degree of impostor syndrome, potentially leading to notable changes in your personal and professional life. It's essential to take prompt steps to address it. For more serious instances, consulting a specialist may be required.

How to overcome impostor syndrome

How can you overcome impostor syndrome? It's a tough challenge, especially when you often feel unworthy of your role. It might feel like you're always on edge, fearing an inevitable failure. In severe cases, seeking support from a therapist or psychologist may be crucial. However, self-help strategies can also help you overcome and break free from this syndrome.

Method 1. Compare yourself not to others but to your past self

Indeed, comparisons like these are viewed as constructive behaviours that should be fostered during childhood. The reality is that comparing oneself to others tends to be unproductive, as external factors and considerable internal differences, including biological ones, often influence the comparison. If you haven't adopted this habit yet, begin nurturing it now using a journal and a roadmap by implementing the following steps:

• Reflect on where you were a year ago. What career or personal milestones had you reached? What challenges were you facing at that time? Were you able to overcome them? If so, how?

• Evaluate your skills and accomplishments from a year ago. Take a moment to reflect on what you've learned during this time. What new experiences have you gained? In what ways have you changed in your behaviour, work, and relationships?

• Consider how your past experiences differ from your current ones. Consider your growth compared to who you were a year ago, viewing yourself as two distinct individuals. What benefits arise from this comparison?

• Create a roadmap for your future. Begin by imagining where you want to be in a year, the skills you wish to master, the position you aspire to hold, the location you desire to live in, and the habits you plan to cultivate during this period. Next, detail the steps required to achieve these goals. This is your objective, and in a year, you can look back on your progress, examine your alignment with that vision, and determine if you have reached it.

Method 2. Enhance your ability to embrace uncertainty

Tolerance for uncertainty refers to the ability to remain calm and flexible in the face of unpredictability, thereby avoiding excessive anxiety or a strong desire to exert control during unforeseen changes beyond one's influence or when the future is uncertain. Thankfully, there are straightforward and effective strategies to enhance this ability, including:

• Once a week, alter your route to work or home and take a new, unfamiliar path.

• Order food at a café you haven't tried before.

• Don't study the menu before arriving at a restaurant or go to a new place for lunch without checking its food selection.

• Take one day off work each week without strict plans. While planning enhances efficiency, it's equally important to embrace flexibility and adaptability when needed.

A strong tolerance for uncertainty helps you manage mistakes. Impostor syndrome often stems from the fear of losing control and being exposed as unqualified. This leads to worries that others will "discover your flaws." Understanding that nothing catastrophic occurs when you act spontaneously, lack knowledge, or try new things can help you overcome self-doubt.

Method 3. Ask for regular feedback

If you're struggling with anxiety over a mistake or low performance, cultivate a habit of seeking input from trusted individuals. The key is to avoid making this another obsession, but rather to establish a clear boundary schedule. For instance, request external feedback and performance assessments on a monthly or quarterly basis, or at the end of each project period. We would also like to emphasise that the most important thing is that the feedback is provided to you by an authority! This method is ineffective if you persist in doubting this person's opinion and obsessively search for flaws within yourself, even when you have been told that you completed the task perfectly.

Embrace the idea that you should only begin to worry about and rectify your mistakes when they are particularly brought to your attention. If you request feedback on your work quality and receive reassurance that all is well, have faith in that reassurance. Likewise, immersing yourself in examples of individuals who manage impostor syndrome effectively, or who do not worry about being inferior to others in front of you. Interact with them and seek their guidance!

Method 4. Challenge your inner critic and nurture a strong, healthy adult within

Schema therapy suggests that we function in various modes simultaneously, each reflecting distinct facets of our personality. Some modes take precedence while others stay hidden. For example, it is understood that we all have an inner child. Likewise, we all have an inner critic and the "healthy adult." Their roles are rather straightforward, wouldn't you agree?

The inner critic is that nagging voice that insists we haven't performed well, haven't put in enough effort, don't merit praise, or don't deserve love, among other things. A healthy adult serves as an inner parent who comforts, supports, and praises us; normally, a healthy adult should be much stronger than the inner critic. However, this dynamic shifts in instances of impostor syndrome.

In psychology, techniques such as the chair trick are used to quiet the inner critic. You can separate this critic from yourself, give them a name, visualise them if that helps, and enter a conversation with them, defending yourself against any negative statements, just as you would for a dear friend. Healthy adults nurture themselves through self-care and ongoing inner dialogue. This involves reassuring oneself that one has tried, deserves a treat, and does not succumb to tears over minor issues, along with other affirmations. One approach, like the chair method, involves comforting a soft toy as if it were a child. Likewise, engaging with children and serving as a caregiver, teacher, or mentor are also important elements of this nurturing process.

Method 5. Enhance your emotional self-regulation skills

Often, it's not the mistakes themselves that disturb us, but our reactions to them and the emotions they arouse. If you have difficulty pinpointing your feelings during a moment of failure, the uncertainty can be overwhelming, leading to a disorienting state that feels well beyond your control. The same goes for receiving praise. What emotions arise? Is it pride? If not, what makes it uncomfortable? Perhaps feeling joy causes you to lower your defences, making vulnerability seem risky. Or maybe, during childhood, you were taught that "Good deeds shouldn't be celebrated; they're simply expected and are the norm."

Consider keeping a feelings journal to enhance your awareness of emotional triggers and reduce the fear of having sudden feelings and the anxiety of managing them. Schedule reminders to write about your feelings, including the circumstances that triggered them, and any physical sensations you may experience, such as tingling in your hands or warmth in your chest, two or three times a day. Special mobile apps, such as Daylio, can help you streamline this process.

Method 6. Lower your expectations

You wouldn't expect someone to finish a 50 km race without prior training, right? Then why hold yourself to the same standard of perfection when facing a new task or skill for the first time, or even during your initial days at a new job? It's essential to recognise that things can change suddenly. Illness, fatigue, and personal challenges can affect your performance, and that's entirely normal. Take a moment to reflect on how your expectations for yourself compare with those you have for others. If a friend were in your shoes, would you judge them in the same way?

Lowering your expectations is equally vital for your personal life. For instance, if you tend to browse through hundreds of hotels before selecting the perfect one, even if your stay is just for two nights, then narrow the criteria from an extensive list down to 2-3 essential ones for you, such as "near the underground" or "breakfast included".

Conclusion

Impostor syndrome is a prevalent challenge today, particularly in environments where success narratives and productivity coaching are prevalent. Although it may seem beneficial, like encouraging individuals with impostor syndrome to reach remarkable levels through heightened effort, it still constitutes a significant psychological issue. As you battle the syndrome, remember those close to you; many will be supportive and encouraging if you let them know about your struggle, whether it's a coworker or your partner. Impostor syndrome isn't an illness, and you can manage it effectively!