“I just look at all these people, and I think, what the heck am I doing here? They’ve made amazing things. I just went where I was sent.” – Neil Armstrong
When Karan and I began discussing the direction of our agency business triggered by the pandemic and the lockdowns, it led us down the path of introspection. A part of that was to look at our own selves and see what we needed to do as individuals to take the company to the next level. We realized that Imposter Syndrome was affecting us and we had undervalued ourselves on numerous occasions.
We needed a mindset change about how we looked at what we do, how we evaluated potential new clients and what this meant for us going forward. More about mindsets in an upcoming post.
You need to suffer a little bit of Imposter Syndrome, but too much of it and you will not accomplish your goals
What is Imposter Syndrome and what it is not?
You’ve heard the word, maybe casually read about it, but have you looked deeper and seen how it is affecting you? I hadn’t.
This term was coined by Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978 in their study titled Imposter Syndrome phenomenon in high performing women.
Imposter Syndrome is a phenomenon you experience under certain conditions. It’s not a personality trait or a mental disorder. Imposter syndrome is not just another symptom of low self-confidence or extreme humility. It is a constant fear of being found out.
Have you ever felt like a fraud? That you don’t deserve your success, it is down to luck or hard work?
Clance and Imes described it as to “designate an internal experience of intellectual phonies”
Imposter Syndrome is also referred to as “confidence gremlins”, impostorism, impostor phenomenon or fraud syndrome.
What does Imposter Syndrome feel like?
Symptoms might include:
- Low self-confidence stopping you from exploring new areas
- Feelings of inadequacy
- Comparing yourself with other people
- Anxiety before a presentation or a talk
- Self-doubt creeping in when you take on a new task
- Distrust in one’s capabilities – “Am I good enough?”
- Negative self-talk
- Dwelling on the past – “I wish I could have done it differently”
- Irrational fears of the future
- Taking on extra work to make sure you’re “doing it all”
- Shrugging off accolades – “Oh, it’s nothing”
- Not exploring a new job opportunity because you don’t feel you meet every requirement (“The expert” Imposter Syndrome type)
- You fear judgment and discovery
Have you experienced any of this? I certainly have. Share your experiences with Imposter Syndrome in the comments below.
You’re not alone.
70% of the people most likely experience. It was initially thought to have affected high performing women more when Clanes and Imes first researched this phenomenon. But recent studies show it affects men too.
It’s inconclusive as to who it affects more, but where it’s different is the circumstances. For women, it’s about proving their ability in a male-dominated environment and for men, it’s about living up to societal norms and to be seen as successful.
One study claims that it affects men more. The paper suggests that this could be due to traditional gender norms placing greater expectation from men to be competent and successful. Harsh and negative feedback triggered higher anxiety and lower effort in men.
“Sometimes I’m afraid others will discover how much knowledge or ability I really lack”. –
Personality and Individual Differences, Rebecca Badawy
Women, on the other hand, fared better and responded positively to the feedback.
Imposter Syndrome affects everybody, even the rich, the famous and the successful.
Michelle Obama had this to say at an event “I still have a little impostor syndrome, it never goes away, that you’re actually listening to me,”
“Every time I was called on in class, I was sure that I was about to embarrass myself. Every time I took a test, I was sure that it had gone badly. And every time I didn’t embarrass myself — or even excelled — I believed that I had fooled everyone yet again.” – Sheryl Sandberg
Maya Angelou “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
Neil Gaiman
“Some years ago, I was lucky enough invited to a gathering of great and good people: artists and scientists, writers and discoverers of things. And I felt that at any moment they would realise that I didn’t qualify to be there, among these people who had really done things.”
What triggers it?
- A new environment
- Workplace
- Starting a new job
- Starting your own business
- Receiving a promotion
- Academic settings
- When you have to teach others (peers)
- Receiving an award
- Social interactions
- Social gatherings
- Networking events
- Relationships
- Business meetings with clients
- Becoming a first-time parent.
- Dating
Ironically, spikes in learning and growth happen when you’re outside your comfort zone.
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Are you actually an imposter?
One way to find out is to measure yourself on the Clance impostor phenomenon scale (CIP). Here’s the test best on Pauline Clance’s work:
Take the Imposter Syndrome Test
“After taking the Impostor Test, add together the numbers of the responses to each statement. If the total score is 40 or less, the respondent has few Impostor characteristics; if the score is between 41 and 60, the respondent has moderate IP experiences; a score between 61 and 80 means the respondent frequently has Impostor feelings; and a score higher than 80 means the respondent often has intense IP experiences. The higher the score, the more frequently and seriously the Impostor Phenomenon interferes in a person’s life.”
CIP scale helps determine if characteristics of fear are present. Aspects of fear include: “ fear of evaluation, fear of not continuing success and fear of not being as capable as others”
There are six dimensions to the Imposter Syndrome:
- The impostor cycle (more on this below)
- The need to be special or the best (There is a universal desire in the pursuit of superiority since we are born as helpless beings)
- Characteristics of Superman/Superwoman
- Fear of failure
- Denial of ability and discounting praise
- Feeling fear and guilt about success also known as the Jonah complex
If you have any two of the above aspects, you’re considered to have the Imposter Syndrome.
Valerie Young suggested 5 types of imposter syndromes in her book: The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer From the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It
- The perfectionist – celebrating success is difficult because you always feel you could have done better, you have a hard delegating and managing people
- The superwoman/man – you’re a workaholic addicted to the validation that comes from working long hours
- The natural genius – you judge yourself based on how easy and quick you learn new things the first time
- The soloist – you are so independent that you don’t believe in asking for help and must do everything on your own
- The expert – you measure yourself based on what and how much you know, constantly seeking certifications and trainings for validation
Here’s how the Imposter cycle works.
- Starts with an achievement-related task
- Feelings of anxiety, self-doubt and worry follow
- Two possible reactions to these feelings
- Over-preparation
- successful outcome is seen as a result of hard work
- Procrastination
- frantic, last-minute effort
- brief period of satisfaction from task completion
- outcome seen as a matter of luck
- In either case, hard work or luck, the outcome is not seen as a reflection of one’s true ability
- Positive feedback received is discounted
- Over-preparation
- Cycle leads to accumulation of self-doubt, depression and anxiety
- Fear of being exposed keep the cycle going
One of the ways we procrastinate is by delaying the action through excessive planning.
Dealing with it and overcoming it
If this phenomenon is so pervasive, how do people deal with it? Studies show that joining a support group of like-minded people who also experience the same thing can be beneficial.
Reframing your mindset to look at failures as opportunities can flip how you process these feelings.
“I want to receive that degree. I won’t give up and have too much pride to walk away.”
“If I can do this, I will be able to help others in the future and work with people as motivated as I am.”
“I can be the voice of other People of Color who do not have the opportunities like I do.”
“I know I can do this.”
James Clear in his book, Atomic Habits, talks of how you can build good habits and break bad habits by making tiny changes to your life and routine. If you have identified the cues that trigger your Imposter Syndrome symptoms, then you can recognize it before or as it happens and have a pre-defined response, a routine.
Self-acceptance is also critical in dealing with this phenomenon. We are born as unique individuals, with strengths and weaknesses. Acknowledging and being self-aware can help us manage and overcome Imposter Syndrome effectively. A simple SWOT analysis of personal skills and capabilities can provide you with that information.
Owning your successes and documenting it can be useful as you can go back to them when you are experiencing self-doubt.
It affects companies too
Imposter Syndrome doesn’t just affect individuals, it can negatively impact companies too. If the team experiences, it can become part of the culture, which then seeps into everything that you do. This can manifest in how you value the company, try too hard to please the wrong customers, lower ambitions for the company and stagnate.
From a marketing point of view, this could reflect in the weak messaging that lacks confidence. Or you mask it with jargons and complexity. On the flip side, marketers exploit your self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy to sell you products and services.
Final Thoughts
If progress is you getting better every day, imposter syndrome is like a chain tied to your back, pulling you or stopping you from moving forward. Or worse, sinking you downwards.
It’s a fine balance between self-confidence and over-confidence. The Imposter Syndrome prevents us from tipping over to the side of over-confidence. When kept in check, it can drive you towards excellence.
But chronic feelings of self-doubt can severely hamper our progress and mental well-being. So being self-aware of our triggers and symptoms can help in managing and overcoming this phenomenon.
My short notes from The Courage To Be Disliked addresses the topic of inferiority complex and how our universal desire for superiority can put us on a path to crave recognition which in turn can cause feelings of inferiority.
“FOI is feeling of something that is missing in oneself. To compensate for the lack of courage in making progress, we fall into the trap of superiority complex. Must detach from the desire for recognition. Healthy FOI = compare to oneself”. Read more here.
This blog post is a part of my #100DaysOfWriting challenge.
