Have you ever felt like you’re not good enough to do the job you’ve been hired to do or perform in a role you’ve been nominated for - and that persons might figure it out at any moment?
Then you could be experiencing a phenomenon known as Imposter Syndrome. Imposter Syndrome is a psychological phenomenon which refers to people, often high achievers, who doubt their accomplishments or fear being discovered as a fraud.
According to Susan Buniva, a therapist from Virginia, Imposter Syndrome is “an internal dynamic in which a person believes they have fooled those around them into believing that they are competent, but in truth they are really acting and have no expertise or skill other than the capacity to make people believe they are better than they really are,” She continued by saying that “the person then suffers significant anxiety that they will be discovered, humiliated, and revealed to be a fraud.” She further purported that the phenomenon is like a self-fulfilling prophecy that can ultimately hinder success.
Some common signs of Imposter Syndrome include:
Ø Self-doubt
Ø Sabotaging one’s own success
Ø An inability to realistically assess one’s competence and skills
Ø Attributing one’s success to external factors
It has been reported via Verywellmind.com that both Imposter Syndrome and anxiety have overlapping qualities. A person with a Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) may feel as though they do not belong in a particular social or performance setting which is similar to how someone suffering from Imposter Syndrome may feel. Additionally, even though symptoms of social anxiety can result in feelings of Imposter Syndrome, this does not mean that everyone with Imposter syndrome has social anxiety or vice versa. Nevertheless, Imposter Syndrome often causes persons that are normally non-anxious, to experience some level of anxiety when they are in situations where they feel inadequate.
Imposter Syndrome may be exhibited in these five main personality traits:
The Perfectionist - These persons are never satisfied with their work; in that they always believe that whatever tasks they perform could have been performed better. These individuals tend to be fixated on little flaws or mistakes. Thus, resulting in a high level of self-pressure and anxiety.
The Expert -These persons will measure their competence based on what and how much they know or can do. In essence, they believe they will never know enough and thus fear that they will be exposed as inexperienced or uninformed.
The Natural Genius - These persons believe that they need to be naturally smart and thus they tend to judge their competence based on how easily or speedily they can accomplish a task as opposed judging based on their effort. They are similar to perfectionists with the exception being, that they judge themselves based on getting things right on the first try. When they are not able to do something quickly or effortlessly, their self-deprecation begin.
The Soloist - These persons feel as though asking for help would make them a phony, so often they will not seek help even when the situation requires them to do so.
The Superhuman - These persons are convinced they are phonies amongst their colleagues. This would result in them pushing to work harder in order to prove themselves worthy of the positions they hold. As admirable as this may seem, this is really a means of masking their insecurities. The work overload may also harm their mental health and their relationship with others.
How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome?
There are four main steps that individuals can use to overcome Imposter Syndrome. These are:
1) Creating a brag sheet
2) Positive self-talk
Creating a brag sheet – This involves creating a sheet on which one lists all their accomplishments, and achievements, throughout their career. It should also include successes that occur outside of the context of work. This sheet in essence should encompass every small or large victory one has made. The premise is that one should make reference to the sheet whenever the imposter symptoms arise, and this would help one to overcome the feelings of inadequacy.
Positive self-talk - Changing the narrative is a major key to shifting the way thoughts are framed. In essence, taking a moment to focus on what one does well and speaking of these traits using positive language can keep the imposter symptoms at bay. This step works closely with the brag sheet so that instead of thinking up accomplishments in the moment, one could simply read them off the sheet then proceed with the positive self-talk.
Learning from one’s mistakes - This step involves using information received from various forms of feedback to improve and strengthen one’s character. It is recommended that to overcome Imposer Syndrome one should not dwell on a mistake made but instead learn and grow from it.
Establishing a support network - In this step it is recommended that you surround yourself with supportive persons both inside and outside one’s workplace. This network can include family, friends, social clubs or professional organizations. One can also create their own unique group. Social media in general, makes it easy to connect with other persons who are experiencing common issues. Never underestimate the power of finding a professional that can meet one’s needs and offer the support that one requires.
In summary, always remember to offer yourself kindness and compassion instead of judgment and self-doubt. By doing this it will help you to maintain a realistic outlook that will encourage you to chase healthy self-growth.
Written by: Vice-President Shauna McLeod
Comments