Are you attached to your Imposter Syndrome?
Ah. Imposter syndrome.
The most seemingly acceptable response during interviews when asked about one’s weaknesses. Also, the most common self-diagnosed condition that people do not want to get support for.
There are plenty of people who recognise that they have imposter syndrome, but far less people actually consider freeing themselves from it.
I was one of those people for a long time. Letting imposter syndrome drive my relationship with work had its appeal and utility - it motivated me to improve and do better, and helped me to perform well.
Or so I thought.
What is Imposter Syndrome?
Imposter Syndrome is a popularised term for Imposter Phenomenon, which refers to:
Having regular feelings of self-doubt, of being a fraud, particularly in relation to one’s achievements
Imposter Syndrome was initially used to describe high-achieving women in academia who struggled with experiencing pride and joy in their accomplishments in a predominantly male-dominated environment. These women reported experiencing an “internal experience of intellectual phoniness”.
Today, we know that imposter syndrome can impact anyone, including men, and people with fluid gender identities.
People who suffer from imposter syndrome:
Have high levels of achievement, but struggle to internalise their successes
Often attribute their achievements to external factors like luck, good fortune, or relationships with others, rather than their own abilities and skills
Have overly high personal standards, and engage in overly critical self-evaluation
Tend to minimise others’ flaws and shortcomings
Struggle to receive compliments, praise and acknowledgement from others
Engage in overwork or self-sabotaging behaviours to cover and avoid feelings of perceived inadequacy
Doubt their ability to repeat their accomplishments in the future
Believe that others will one day “find out” that they are a “fraud”
Who is more prone to suffering from imposter syndrome?
People in jobs and roles that require deep and specialised expertise and knowledge
People who believe in the notion of a “genius” in their field who achieves effortlessly
People who believe that their success is correlated to, or a result of affirmative action, instead of merit
People who regularly receive biased feedback on their performance from superiors and coworkers
Consequences when imposter syndrome goes unchecked
Research has shown that imposter syndrome fuels other unhealthy behaviours like unrestrained perfectionism, and can result in:
Impairment of performance
Lower job satisfaction, fulfilment and a sense of accomplishment
Negative long-term impact on one’s mental and physical wellness
Fear of judgement which blocks one from trying something new, or taking healthy risks
Why people choose not to overcome imposter syndrome
For any one starting out in their professional journeys, feeling inadequate is natural. We are trying to acquire skills, build up our credentials and networks, and develop our expertise to gain confidence.
Every one necessarily goes through this transition period, which is marked with uncertainty, self-doubt and fear.
For the many of us who have already gained more experience, and grown our skills and expertise in our respective fields and industries, why does it feel so hard to shake off the feeling of inadequacy?
The leading explanations for imposter syndrome attribute it to the under-estimation of the self, coupled with an over-estimation of others. Despite evidence of one’s abilities and achievements, people suffering from imposter syndrome will find ways to dismiss the evidence to reinforce their existing world view.
It might be because of the misconception that people whom we admired or respected growing up, and in the present, seem “fundamentally different” from us.
It might also be rooted in the belief that one’s inner critic played an essential role in securing success thus far, and we need to rely on critical self-evaluation to replicate similar achievements in the future.
Your inner critic is not critical thinking
Many people mistakenly confuse critical thinking with the inner critic. What’s the difference?
Critical thinking focuses on what you do. It is the ability to look back on what we have done, and glean insights that inform and improve our approaches, decisions and choices in the future. It is driven by objectivity, and focuses on actions.
The inner critic focuses on who you are. It attributes mistakes and shortcomings to the person, and reinforces internalised beliefs that certain imperfections is related to some sort of personal lack.
When we overly rely on self-criticism to fuel our growth and improvement, we are feeding the inner critic, and not our critical thinking skills.
The recurring nature of the anxiety felt can also unintentionally blunt one’s ability to think critically, as excessive anxiety blunts our cognitive functioning.
When the inner critic goes unchallenged, the disconnection and incongruence between one’s abilities, achievements and self-confidence grows. Our achievements and successes become intellectual facts that we struggle to translate into emotional experiences of satisfaction, pride and confidence.
We accumulate achievements to make our CVs grow ever more impressive, which helps us appear successful to others. But internally, we fear that if we do not remain “humble” enough, we will fall into complacency and regress instead of progress.
The imposter syndrome that was once useful when we were beginners now becomes an obstacle to personal growth and satisfaction.
How to break the cycle
The antidote to imposter syndrome is not losing all humility, or being overconfident in one’s abilities, but to recognise our cognitive bias, learn to humanise ourselves and others, and to invest in bridging the incongruence between one’s intellectual and emotional perceptions of the self.
Identify cognitive bias distorting your self-perception and how you perceive others
Success is, and has always been, dependent on factors external to the self. But those suffering from imposter syndrome believe that their success is more attributable to external factors that for others.
There is no success that is entirely self-originating, regardless of stories of self-reliance and overcoming we see online. Even raw talent needs to be harnessed with the right conditions - supportive backgrounds, good education, access to resources, and elements of luck and chance.
That is true for you, and for every one you view as successful.
Humanise others, and humanise yourself
Most people do not give themselves and others enough permission to be human.
We encounter ourselves daily from within, and we perceive others only from the curated, selective, or simply fragmented presentations of themselves.
It’s helpful to remind ourselves that the people we admire, envy or respect are humans with their own set of anxieties, struggles and self-doubt. Regardless of how people present themselves, everyone has parts of themselves they feel shameful, less proud about, or even dislike.
All humans make mistakes and have certain regrets, and focusing only on external presentations prevents us from deeply connecting with ourselves, and with others.
The tendency to focus on one dimension of others, like their career success, limits our imagination on what kind of person they are, how they make people feel, and what they have given up in the course of their pursuits - costs we might be willing to bear.
Invest in achieving a holistic self-perception on what you can do and who you are
Confidence enhances capacity. To cultivate confidence, we need clarity.
First, we need clarity on what exactly our strengths and abilities are, and more importantly, the attributes that make us uniquely who we are.
Second, we need the clarity of thought on what exactly success means to us. This gives us a thoughtful direction for our striving, which would enhance the satisfaction we feel in all that we choose to do.
For those who us who have been longing for a change, getting clear on what success means to you helps one to tap into the inner courage to change course when we realise the current path is no longer working for us.
Uncovering a more holistic view of oneself will therefore give us valuable insights to help us recognise just how far we have come, and grow to appreciate what we can achieve and who we are, even as we strive for more.
So let me ask: Why do you work, and what are you working for?
We work to pay the bills, and meet our needs for survival. Some of us are luckier and well-positioned to consider questions about thriving, and not just surviving.
As humans, why do we pour our effort and dedicate ourselves to our pursuits and commitments?
We do so because we are humans and we strive. But we are not only made for striving. We are also social and emotional animals, seeking meaning, feeling, connection, recognition and a sense of accomplishment.
Sources:Neil Levy, "Imposter Syndrome and Pretense", Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy, 2022Csilla Pákozdy, Jemima Askew, Jessica Dyer, Phoebe Gately, Leya Martin, Kenneth I. Mavor & Gillian R. Brow, "The imposter phenomenon and its relationship with self-efficacy, perfectionism and happiness in university students", Springer Nature Link, 2023The School of Life, “The Problem of Shame”