the imposter of imposter syndrome
For many of us, self-doubt pops it's unhelpful chatter into our thoughts more often than we would like. It can come in many different forms and one that seems to be common at the moment is “the imposter syndrome”, several well-known people like Neil Gaiman and Sheryl Sandburg have talked about its effect on their work. I spent 6 years studying women in the workplace (although that was a long time ago) and I wondered why I hadn’t come across this ‘syndrome’ before, so I set out to investigate.
Originally imposter syndrome was called the imposter phenomenon. The original researchers Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes (in 1978) described a certain cluster of feelings, thoughts and ideas that they had observed in themselves and then studied in other high achieving women. The women who experienced the imposter phenomenon struggled to develop an internal sense of their intelligence and competence, despite many outward signs of success such as degrees, scholarships and promotions. They were also convinced that someone would eventually reveal that they were not actually as bright or competent as others thought. The researchers found that Imposter phenomenon was maintained by four key characteristics.
Those who experienced it explained their success by outward circumstances that were not in their control such as luck, or a mistake.
They worked very hard and tended to be perfectionists. Their hard work when acknowledged often resulted in temporary positive feelings, but did nothing to minimise their doubts.
Often these women lacked the confidence to share their real views or opinions (especially when they were disagreeing) so they felt inauthentic.
They also expressed a strong need to be liked by those in authority which easily became an unhelpful loop when those in authority gave them positive feedback about their work as they discounted the feedback because the person giving it liked them.
This particular cluster of behaviours and thoughts resonated with those reading about it and it became popularised and turned into the “Imposter Syndrome”. Somehow a phenomenon (defined by Merriam-Webster online as “a fact or event of scientific interest susceptible to scientific description and explanation”) became popularised and hyped up and turned into a syndrome. Merriam-Webster defines a syndrome as “a group of signs and symptoms that occur together and characterise a particular abnormality or condition”.
On one hand, it is positive that it came to our attention because it makes it easier for people to share their struggles. On the other hand, I feel like taking it from a collection of symptoms that was of interest to researchers and those working with people and turning it into a syndrome grew its weight and importance.
Something minor became a big deal.
People were able to say I suffer from ‘imposter syndrome.’ My concern is that a syndrome with all its permanence and solidness has more power over our identities. The more we get tied up in thinking of ourselves as a sufferer of ‘imposter syndrome’ the harder it becomes to unhook ourselves from the package of emotions and thoughts that we are having.
The more we identify with it the harder it actually becomes for us to do something about it.
More recent research suggests that it might be more helpful to talk about imposter episodes, which they found were widely experienced. It is not unusual to have brief times when we feel like an imposter and we can all experience them from time to time. This doesn’t mean that we suffer from an ongoing syndrome. Although some may experience more episodes than others and find it more difficult to cope with than others. Both men and women experience imposter episodes, and evidence to date is inconclusive that this is more common in women than men.
Talk to your coach, psychologist or professional supervisor to get some support and techniques for coping well with imposter episiodes when they occur, but don’t make a syndrome out of a common collection of thoughts and feelings.
Coping with imposter thoughts and feelings.
Acknowledge and accept your feelings. It is normal,common and ok to feel like this. It doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with you. It doesn’t mean you won’t be successful. It is ok to have bumps in your self-confidence.
Share with a coach, supervisor, therapist or friends to get support to help you with effective coping strategies that help you manage the thoughts and feelings when they occur.
Ask for help to examine your perfectionist tendencies, some types of perfectionism are motivating and can help with some types of work. Other types can be quite debilitating. Take some steps towards reducing compulsive overwork or over preparation habits.
Start a positive feedback, or positive results folder. Record, keep, read and re-read any positive comments you receive about your work. Our minds remember negative feedback more easily as they are driven by safety. We need to reinforce the positive more frequently than the negative.
Identify some small risks that you can take to be yourself and express what you really think. The more authentic you are able to be the less pervasive the feelings of being ‘found out’ will become.
Be aware of the situations that make imposter episodes more likely. These include transitions to new roles, taking on new or greater responsibilities and being in the public eye.
