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Have you ever felt that you don't deserve success and praise in your professional life? Even when others affirm your performance and you have gained many qualifications, you still doubt your abilities. You might think that your success is merely due to luck and the help of others, and even consider yourself an "impostor", overwhelmed by self-doubt. If you resonate with the above, you may be suffering from Imposter Syndrome.
Imposter Syndrome, also known as Imposter Phenomenon, originated from a study published in 1978 by psychologists Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes. The study found that some successful women, despite outstanding academic performance or professional achievements, felt they did not deserve societal or others' recognition and even thought of themselves as "frauds" who had deceived others (Clance & Imes, 1978). Later research discovered that this phenomenon is not limited to women; men in society also encounter this problem (Imes et al, 1980). Scholars indicate that about 70% of people suffer from Imposter Syndrome, and this phenomenon is very common across different industries, such as doctors, nurses, teachers, administrators, etc. (Sakulku, 2011). Even those with high achievements and real talent cannot believe that their success is due to their own abilities. Affected by self-doubt, they often feel they are merely lucky or have misled others into thinking they are capable, and they fear that one day others will see them as a worthless "fraud".
Scholar V. Young pointed out that there are five types of Imposter Syndrome: "Perfectionist", "Genius", "Superman", "Expert", and "Soloist" (Young, 2011).
"Perfectionists" demand 100% perfection in their work, and even minor mistakes make them feel like failures and full of self-doubt.
"Geniuses" believe that success comes from innate talent, and effort and perseverance are signs of the weak.
"Supermen" feel they should excel in every aspect of life, perfecting every role and identity.
"Experts" think they need to possess a vast amount of knowledge and numerous skills, fearing others will think they are incompetent.
"Soloists" always want to accomplish everything on their own, believing that only the weak seek help.
To date, scholars have yet to arrive at a definitive answer. Psychologists believe that Imposter Syndrome is related to individual traits or personality. People who experience Imposter Syndrome often have low self-esteem, a negative self-concept (Clance & Imes, 1978), and a tendency towards perfectionism (Henning et al., 1998). Within the Big Five personality traits, they are typically high in neuroticism, which makes them susceptible to anxiety, anger, and depression when stimulated by external factors (Bernard et al., 2002). Studies have found that these individuals with Imposter Syndrome may have experienced strict parenting in childhood, making it difficult to develop self-affirmation in a high-pressure environment (Sonnak & Towell, 2001).
1. Self-compassion
We can learn to cultivate self-compassion. When we encounter failures and self-doubt, we can try to accept our shortcomings with a forgiving attitude, giving ourselves more warmth and kindness. When we feel down because of Imposter Syndrome, we can allow ourselves to listen to our favourite music, eat our favourite food, watch our favourite shows, and take a good rest. It's important to understand that making mistakes is a common human experience and that no one is perfect. We don't need to strive to be superhuman, and there will always be people who can support us through tough times. The next time you feel that you're not doing well enough, learn to accept that every experience, even Imposter Syndrome or self-doubt, is part of the growing process and try to be more understanding towards yourself.
2. Growth Mindset
Developing a growth mindset can also help us overcome psychological barriers like self-doubt from Imposter Syndrome. People with a growth mindset believe that effort can lead to improvement. Imposter Syndrome is related to a fixed mindset (Chandra et al., 2019), believing that our capability is innate and cannot be improved. If we believe that success is predetermined and that talent is inborn, we will never be able to improve. If we adopt a growth mindset, we can reflect on and improve our methods when faced with setbacks, developing resilience that makes us more mature and confident to resolve Imposter Syndrome.
3. Mindfulness
Mindfulness can also help us recognize negative thoughts and emotions related to Imposter Syndrome. We can observe ourselves more and try to stop self-criticism and self-doubt. We don't have to suppress or deny our feelings; we just need to let them flow through our minds. We can also try to write down some of our daily thoughts and spend some time writing self-affirming sentences, reminding ourselves that hardships are temporary and that we can improve our situation of Imposter Syndrome.
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In our career or personal life, we may face self-doubt and feel like an "impostor." This is a situation many people have experienced. The next time you encounter a problem with Imposter Syndrome, consider talking to someone close to you and let go of your worries. We don't need to be fixated on eliminating the phenomenon of Imposter Syndrome or self-doubt; we just need to accept our thoughts and emotions, trying to embrace our growing selves.
Bernard, N. S., Dollinger, S. J., and Ramaniah, N. V. (2002). Applying the big five personality factors to the impostor phenomenon. J. Pers. Assess. 78, 321–333.
Clance, P. R., and Imes, S. A. (1978). The imposter phenomenon in high achieving women: dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychother. Theory Res. Pract. 15:241.
Gibson-Beverly, G., and Schwartz, J. P. (2008). Attachment, entitlement, and the impostor phenomenon in female graduate students. J. Coll. Couns. 11, 119–132.
Henning, K., Ey, S., and Shaw, D. (1998). Perfectionism, the impostor phenomenon and psychological adjustment in medical, dental, nursing and pharmacy students. Med. Educ. 32, 456–464.
Imes, S.A. (1979). The Impostor Phenomenon as a function of attribution patterns and internalized masculinity/femininity in high achieving women and men (Doctoral Dissertation, Georgia State University, 1979). Dissertation Abstracts International, 40, 5868B-5869B.
Sakulku, J. (2011). The Impostor Phenomenon. The Journal of Behavioral Science, 6(1), 75-97.
Sonnak, C., and Towell, T. (2001). The impostor phenomenon in British university students: relationships between self-esteem, mental health, parental rearing style and socioeconomic status. Pers. Indiv. Dif. 31, 863–874.
Young, V. (2011). The secret thoughts of successful women: Why capable people suffer from the impostor syndrome and how to thrive in spite of it. Currency.
