Imposter Syndrome
‘One of these days people will realise I don’t know as much as they think’
‘When are they going to discover that I am a fraud’
‘You don’t belong here’
Do these phrases sound familiar? If so welcome to the club! The voice inside our head can plague us with these unhelpful thoughts about how we aren’t deserving of our job or position – this phenomenon is called Imposter syndrome. It is an uncomfortable internal belief or feeling that you are not as capable as those around you believe you to be. It’s often likened to a feeling of being a fraud and inadequate amongst your peers even if we have evidence to the contrary
As a result of imposter syndrome, you might find yourself pushing yourself harder, working longer, raising your personal standards, in an to attempt to satisfy yourself that you are enough but this can have a damaging effect on your emotional wellbeing as your balance slips and your standards raise to unrealistic levels
So why do we think like this?
While research is still very sparse It’s thought that imposter syndrome could be the result of several factors. One could be attributed to personality traits – such as perfectionism, if we set our expectations very high, and hold unrealistic values of what it means to be competent. Another could be a knock-on effect of our childhood upbringing, if our parents were unusually critical during an influential period of our childhood. Even a change could bring on these feelings, a promotion, change in office environment or change in leadership. What we do know is that this phenomenon is surprisingly common, it’s estimated that 70% of people have experienced imposter syndrome at one time or another, and that anyone can be affected from students through to CEO’s. But it’s a topic that is starting to get some coverage now, with many high profile celebrities speaking out about their experiences with the phenomenon
How can we challenge these thoughts?
There are some tools we can use to challenge our internal voice that include
· Separating feelings from fact. It’s useful to remind yourself, that someone (usually more than one person) made the decision to hire you based on firstly your CV but further on your qualifications, experience, and personality. They believed you right for the job.
· Share how you’re feeling. Try talking to friends and family who are outside of the workplace. They can help you to rationalise your thoughts.
· Keep a note of your accomplishments – these will serve as evidence to remind you of times you’ve been told you are doing a good job, or that your work is good.
· Reframe your thoughts. These takes some practise and perseverance, you need to consciously address your thoughts when you experience them with more positive self-talk, for example if you think ‘This isn’t good enough’ remind yourself that it doesn’t need to be perfect, it’s good enough. If you think you can’t do something, instead focus on how you can help yourself to learn to do something.
· Psychotherapy. If you’ve tried the self-help tips but are still experiencing overwhelming imposter syndrome, try speaking to someone who has had experience in this field before.