What is Imposter Syndrome and How Do I Know if I’m Experiencing It?

Imposter Syndrome – Everyone, at one time or another, has wished that they had a little more confidence.

Have you ever thought that you weren’t up to the task? Or perhaps that others would find out that, somehow, you were a fraud? Have you ever heard of imposter syndrome? This type of negative self-talk goes beyond lacking confidence in oneself.

Imposter syndrome is more than a once-in-a-while occurrence.

Rather, imposter syndrome is a consistent belief that you hold whenever you experience some kind of accomplishment. It can cause you to experience anxiety, and not just about yourself possibly being a fraud, but to question what other people think of you too.

Let’s explore what imposter syndrome is, and how you can tell if you are experiencing it.

Imposter Syndrome: What is it?

The concept of imposter syndrome has actually been around since 1978. That’s when Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes, both psychologists, first used the term. An article from Mount Royal University, describes the term “imposter syndrome” as:

“People who, despite ample external evidence and reinforcement, can’t believe they deserve the success they have.”

These people just can’t believe that they are responsible for their accomplishments. Instead, they think that some other factor was at play which explains their success. It’s not concentrated to a specific group of people as it can affect anyone regardless of their social status, skills set, background or degree of expertise.

In short, imposter syndrome makes you feel like you’re a phony that could be found out at any moment.

Imposter syndrome is often associated with perfectionism. Perfectionists tend to feel an abnormal pressure to perform flawlessly all of the time and when they don’t, they feel absolutely incompetent which makes them extremely anxious.

Dumb Luck

One way that people explain away their success is by thinking they got lucky. Two examples are the student who is accepted to a prestigious university, or someone who gets a promotion at work. The false belief here is that their achievements were not based on hard work, determination, and focus. Rather, they believe it was rooted in chance.

Ironically, the people who hold these beliefs are often overachievers. They are not strangers to hard work. However, there is something inside them that doubts their own accomplishments. Even when those accomplishments are entirely achieved by their own doing.

Signs of Imposter Syndrome

Some signs that you or someone you know has imposter syndrome include:

•           An overbearing feeling of self-doubt

•           Not being able to assess your own skills and competences.

•           A tendency to attribute your own success to external factors.

•           Being your own worst judge.

•           An irrational fear that you won’t live up to your own or someone else’s expectations.

•           A strange and unhealthy insistence on overachieving.

The problem often is that in trying too hard to overachieve or over-impress, you could end up actually sabotaging your success. You might also eventually hurt your own ego when you set goals that are virtually unattainable and be disappointed when you don’t live up to those expectations.

Lacking Confidence: Not Having the Skills or Abilities

Another way to tell if you are experiencing imposter syndrome is when you lack confidence in yourself. This happens particularly when you don’t believe that you have the knowledge, skills, abilities, or competencies to do something. For example:

When you are starting out at a new job or in a new career field.

You see that there is an opening at your company for a new position, but something holds you back.

Wanting to study at university level.

Yet, the reality is quite different! There is a reason why you are where you are in life and why you can safely take the jump. You worked hard to get to where you are.

The Fear of Being Found Out

People who struggle with imposter syndrome carry a fear that others will find out their dark secret. This includes:

That they are a fraud.

They don’t belong, or they don’t deserve to be where they are.

This fear may not always be debilitating, but it is a constant burden. Someone with imposter syndrome might have these thoughts every day at work or while attending university. This poses more serious longer-term problems for them.

The Trouble with Imposter Syndrome

One very important quality about being human is the need, even desire, to improve yourself. Yet, if you have imposter syndrome, you hold yourself back. You don’t apply for that promotion that you know you’re perfectly suited for. Nor do you find the courage to take that class for an additional credential.

Instead, you remain where you are. That, in the long-term, hampers your ability to grow as a professional and as a person. Plus, you may struggle with other symptoms related to anxiety. For example:

• Changes in eating habits.
• Not getting enough sleep or oversleeping.
• Difficulty concentrating.
• Feeling tense.
• Constantly struggling with worry.

While imposter syndrome can fuel motivation for some and help them achieve high level success, it usually comes at a cost. These people often carry a constant feeling of anxiety with them in order to measure up to their previous achievements. If you are such a person, you might work much too hard to complete a specific task or you may want to over-prepare for something like a presentation to make extra sure that no-one feels like you’re a fraud.

Clearly, this sets up some type of vicious cycle where you start thinking that the only reason why you got great marks in a test or gave a killer presentation is because you stayed up until dawn studying or rehearsing. So then next time, you feel obliged to push yourself over the limits again to achieve similar results. And what’s worse is that it might spiral out of control to the point where you just wind up feeling like an even greater fraud!

If you believe you are struggling with imposter syndrome, you can get help. Reach out today to learn more about how anxiety therapy is useful for treating imposter syndrome.

Imposter Syndrome: Overcoming It

Whether your symptoms of Imposter Syndrome stem from social anxiety or perfectionism or any other cause, there is hope for overcoming it. You might be at a point in your life where your core beliefs about yourself being a fraud are very strong and that you don’t believe there’s a way to reverse your way of thinking. If this is the case, ask yourself these questions:

• Do you obsess over the smallest flaws in your work?
• Are you over-sensitive to criticism?
• Do you feel like your success is attributed to outside factors like luck or chance?
• Are you afraid to be found out as a phony for no apparent reason?
• Do you downplay your skills or expertise even if you’re truly more skilled than others?

If you feel like you might have imposter syndrome, it’s a good idea to visit an experienced therapist or registered psychologist who will be able to help you out with these abnormal thinking patterns. Seeing as these irrational beliefs can build up when you don’t talk about it, you should not keep them cropped up inside. Virtuous Circle Counselling can help as we offer in person and online therapy options to overcome Imposter Syndrome.