Impostor syndrome

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Impostor syndrome (also known as impostor phenomenon or fraud syndrome or the impostor
experience) is a concept describing individuals who are marked by an inability to internalize
their accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a "fraud". The term was
coined in 1978 by clinical psychologists Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes.[1] Despite
external evidence of their competence, those exhibiting the syndrome remain convinced that
they are frauds and do not deserve the success they have achieved. Proof of success is
dismissed as luck, timing, or as a result of deceiving others into thinking they are more
intelligent and competent than they believe themselves to be. While early research focused on
the prevalence among high-achieving women[2], impostor syndrome has been found to affect
both men and women, in roughly equal numbers.[3][4]

Contents [hide]

1 Background

2 Signs and symptoms

3 In high achievers

4 Ethnicity

5 Prevalence

6 Demographics

7 Management

8 Therapy

9 See also

10 References

11 Further reading

12 External links

Background[edit]

The impostor syndrome tends to be studied as a reaction to certain stimuli and events. It is not
perceived to be a mental disorder, but it has been the topic of research for many
psychologists. Though traditionally perceived as an ingrained personality trait, impostor
syndrome has more recently been studied as a reaction to certain situations. Under this
interpretation, it is a response experienced by many different people to situations that prompt
such feelings. Though certain people are more prone to impostor feelings, experience them
more intensely than most, and can be identified through the use of personality scales,
evidence does not support impostor syndrome to be a distinct personality trait.[5]
The term "impostor syndrome" first appeared in an article written by Pauline R. Clance and
Suzanne A. Imes who observed many high-achieving women tended to believe they were not
intelligent, and that they were over-evaluated by others.[2] Another framework for
understanding impostor syndrome is to re-name it "impostor experience". In the words of
Clance, "If I could do it all over again, I would call it the impostor experience, because it's not a
syndrome or a complex or a mental illness, it's something almost everyone experiences."[6]
Reframing the vocabulary shifts ones perspective to help them understand they are not
isolated in this experience.

Signs and symptoms[edit]

(1) Impostor experience can take form differently for everyone. Here are common signs that
someone may be experiencing feeling like an impostor. [7]

Perfectionism

Overworking

Undermining your achievements

Fear of failure

Discounting praise

(2) Impostor experience can present itself through thoughts such as:[8]

"I must not fail"

"I feel like a fake"

"I just got lucky"

(3) Impostor experience is a common phenomenon.

"I have written 11 books, but each time I think, 'Uh oh, they're going to find out now. I've run a
game on everybody, and they're going to find me out.'" Maya Angelou

In high achievers[edit]

Imes and Clance's theory suggests several behaviours of high-achieving women with impostor
syndrome:[2]

Diligence

Gifted people often work hard in order to prevent people from discovering that they are
"impostors". This hard work often leads to more praise and success, which perpetuates the
impostor feelings and fears of being "found out". The "impostor" person may feel they need to
work two or three times as hard, so over-prepare, tinker and obsess over details, says Young.
This can lead to burn-out and sleep deprivation.
Feeling of being phony

Those with impostor feelings often attempt to give supervisors and professors the answers
that they believe they want, which often leads to an increase in feeling like they are "being a
fake". If shown evidence of their competence or that they may suffer from a case of impostor
syndrome, they tend to doubt themselves even more.

Use of charm

Connected to this, gifted women often use their intuitive perceptiveness and charm[2] to gain
approval and praise from supervisors and seek out relationships with supervisors in order to
help them increase their abilities intellectually and creatively. However, when the supervisor
gives them praise or recognition, they feel that this praise is based on charm and not on ability.
This may also be interpreted as manipulating others for personal gain.

Avoiding display of confidence

Another way that a person can perpetuate their impostor feelings is to avoid showing any
confidence in their abilities. A person dealing with impostor feelings may believe that if they
actually believe in their intelligence and abilities they may be rejected by others. Therefore,
they may convince themselves that they are not intelligent or do not deserve success to avoid
this.

While studies primarily focused on women, recent studies have suggested that men may also
be prone to impostor syndrome on similar levels.[9] [10] In addition, Clance herself, of the
original research team, relates to the previous studies and suggests that the syndrome may be
equally prevalent in males but that men process and act on it in different ways to women. [3]

Ethnicity[edit]

A study by Queena Hoang suggested as example people of color may experience imposter
syndrome as a result of suspecting they were given their position by affirmative action.[11]
The research regarding impostor experience has traditionally highlighted groups who are
excelling in areas that were not always readily accessible to them.[2] Likewise, said students
have not always had access to institutions of higher education, which is another source that
can create feelings of being an impostor.[12]

In 2013, a study conducted at the University of Texas at Austin revealed that Asian-American
students are more likely than African-American or Latino students to experience feelings of
being an impostor in college. This is potentially dangerous because correlational analyses
showed that impostor feelings amongst underrepresented college students was a strong
predictor of mental health issues.[13] If these feelings go unnoticed, students may suffer from
anxiety, stress, and depression.[2] It may be hard to outwardly identify these students because
students who express feeling symptoms of impostor syndrome are "often the most energetic,
bright, and hardworking students amongst their peers".[11]

On the other hand, some scholars argue that feelings of impostor experience are potentially
healthy and beneficial for career trajectory. This belief stems from understanding that
everyone has a comfort zone, and personal/professional growth is likely to occur when one
steps out of their comfort zone.[14]

Prevalence[edit]

Psychological research done in the early 1980s estimated that two out of five successful
people consider themselves frauds and other studies have found that 70 percent of all people
feel like impostors at one time or another. It is not considered a psychological disorder, and is
not among the conditions described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (commonly known as the DSM). The term was coined by clinical psychologists
Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978.[2]

People who have reportedly experienced the syndrome include Academy Award-winning actor
Tom Hanks,[15] screenwriter Chuck Lorre,[16] best-selling writer Neil Gaiman,[17] [18] best-
selling writer John Green, comedian Tommy Cooper,[19] business leader Sheryl Sandberg, US
Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor,[20] actress Emma Watson, [21] and entrepreneur
Mike Cannon-Brookes [22].

70% of people will experience at least one episode of this impostor phenomenon in their
lives.[23]

Impostor syndrome is not a gendered experience.[2]

Demographics[edit]

The impostor syndrome is particularly common among high-achievers. Another demographic

group that often suffers from this phenomenon is African Americans. Being the beneficiary of
affirmative action may cause a person who belongs to a visible minority to doubt their own
abilities and suspect that their skills were not what allowed them to be hired.[24] Impostor
syndrome has been commonly reported by graduate students and scientists beginning tenure
track positions.[25]

Management[edit]

Impostor syndrome is not a formal mental disorder and does not have a standard definition,
therefore there has not been a clear consensus as to treatment options available.[26] The
syndrome has affected approximately 70% of the population worldwide;[27] however, it often
goes unrecognized.[28] If it is not addressed, victims can develop anxiety, stress, low self-
confidence, depression, shame and self-doubt.[26][29][30][31][32] People who suffer from
impostor syndrome tend to reflect and dwell upon extreme failure, mistakes and negative
feedback from others. If not addressed, impostor syndrome can limit exploration and the
courage to delve into new experiences, in fear of exposing failure.[28][33]

A number of management options are available to ease impostor syndrome. The most
prominent is to discuss the topic with other individuals early on in the career path.[28][11]
Mentors can discuss experiences where impostor syndrome was prevalent.[28][30] Most
people who experience impostor syndrome are unaware that others feel inadequate as well.
Once the situation is addressed, victims no longer feel alone in their negative experience. It is
also noted that reflecting upon impostor feelings is key to overcoming this burden.[34] Making
a list of accomplishments, positive feedback and success stories will also aid to manage
impostor syndrome.[11] Finally, developing a strong support system that provides feedback on
performance and has discussions about impostor syndrome on a regular basis is imperative for
those experiencing impostorship.[30][33]

Therapy[edit]

Coherence therapy holds that unconscious emotional learning requires a person to act and
respond with certain behaviors, moods, feelings, or beliefs. Unlike cognitive therapy,
coherence therapy asserts that it can address our most fundamental learning stored in the
sublimbic, right-hemispheric, and emotion-processing areas of the brain, which other talking
psychotherapy and rational countermeasures cannot reach. Coherence therapists claim that
effective treatment of impostor syndrome requires showing the person through experiential
juxtapositions that the self-deprecation does not match the person's core emotional
understanding.[35][page needed][need quotation to verify]

Writing therapy allows the person to organize their thoughts in writing. The written record of
the person's objective accomplishments can enable the person to associate those
accomplishments with reality, rather than simply dismissing the accomplishments internally.
The written record can also remind the person of those accomplishments later. By these
methods, writing therapy attempts to alleviate the person's sense of inadequacy.[36][page
needed][need quotation to verify]