“I am a failure.”
“I got lucky.”
“I feel like a fraud.”
If you get thoughts like this, chances are that you might have impostor syndrome. Anyone who thinks that they are not good enough or their accomplishments are just a stroke of luck suffers from this syndrome, or what psychologists call the impostor phenomenon. According to research published in the International Journal of Behavioral Science, around 70 percent of people suffer from impostor syndrome at some point in their lives.
Psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes were the first ones to publish a paper on impostor syndrome. At that time, they believed only women suffer from this condition. Later it was found that even men can experience impostor feelings.
When you suffer from impostor syndrome, you feel like a fraud, a cheat who hides from everyone. You feel stressed that others will find you mediocre. You question your abilities and your accomplishments. You believe you don’t deserve success because you haven’t earned it.
In her book, The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It, Dr Valerie Young, an internationally recognised expert on impostor syndrome has defined five groups for this condition.
The perfectionist – These are the people who believe in perfection and expect everything to be in top-notch quality. If the result doesn’t meet their standards, they beat themselves up for not achieving the goal instead of appreciating the hard work they have done.
The soloist – This group categorises those who prefer to work solo. They take pride in their individual ability to handle any task. Asking for help feels like committing a crime to them. The sheer idea of asking for support makes them feel inferior and inadequate.
The expert – This group is for those who work like experts. They gather all pertinent information and statistics for their tasks. They don’t answer a question or start a task before thoroughly researching the subject. If they fail to do so, they feel like an impostor who doesn’t know anything.
The natural genius – This group is reserved for child prodigies, for whom everything comes naturally. They don’t sweat over a task like others do because they are born geniuses. But when they face a challenge they can’t overcome, they feel worthless and depressed.
The superhero – This group comprises people, who work long, gruelling hours every week. They don’t want to fall behind in life, and so they work tirelessly, day in and day out. They believe if they don’t show diligence, they will be seen as incompetent.
If you fall into any one of the above categories, it’s an indication that you are dealing with impostor syndrome. Here’s how you can effectively deal with it.
Acknowledge your feelings
The first step is to recognise the syndrome. Know that what you are experiencing is not true but a figment of your imagination. This syndrome spurs due to various factors like your upbringing, conditioning, or your environment. None of them can accurately define your capabilities and competence. For example, if you have failed a task and feel like an impostor, acknowledge your feelings and tell yourself it’s just a phase that comes in almost everyone’s lives. Pick yourself up and start again. Failures are not eternal and success is not far behind if you have a positive affirmation.
Take feedback
If you feel like you haven’t done a good job on your project, don’t punish yourself. Instead, ask a trustworthy colleague or your manager to give you feedback on your work. Trust their words over your self-berating thoughts. Looking at your work from someone else’s eyes will give you a fresh perspective on things. It will enable you to understand the areas where you can improve and how you can create an effective strategy to achieve your target.
Stop comparisons
Comparison is the murderer of self-belief and self-esteem. The more you compare yourself with others, the deeper the pit of your sorrow becomes. The only person you should compare yourself to is you. That’s how you grow, one day at a time. Yes, growth takes time. So be patient and don’t feed your impostor feelings with intrusive thoughts that stem from needless comparisons.
Impostor syndrome is a condition where individuals feel inadequate and believe their accomplishments result from luck or fraud.
To deal with impostor syndrome, you can: acknowledge your feelings, seek feedback from others, avoid comparisons, embrace failures as learning experiences, talk to a friend or mentor, be kind to yourself, and consider seeking professional help if needed.
Impostor syndrome can be experienced by both men and women. It is a common phenomenon that can affect anyone, regardless of their gender or background.
Impostor syndrome is quite common, with research indicating that around 70 per cent of people experience it at some point in their lives. It is a widespread phenomenon that can impact individuals in various fields and professions.
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