How to Identify and Deal With Imposter Syndrome
by James P. Outreach & PR ExecutiveDo you ever sit down at your desk in the morning and think
to yourself, ‘What am I doing here? I don’t belong in this job. Am I a fraud?’?
Well, if you do, you’ll be glad to know that you’re not
alone.
62% of UK adults experience what is more commonly known as
‘imposter syndrome’. But what is it?
A feeling that your accomplishments have occurred due to
luck or good fortune, as opposed to your natural talent and ability, imposter
syndrome is a theory that was first identified back in 1978.
Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Innes detailed in a
psychology paper that imposter syndrome was something uniquely experienced
within women. However, since then, further researched has noted that this is
something felt in men too — as the previous value suggests.
Different individuals experience imposter
syndrome in different ways, purely dependent on the person and the
circumstance which they find themselves in.
In this article, we look at the different types of
personalities which develop the aforementioned syndrome and go on to delve into
five different ways it can be combatted, helping you don your sweater with pride and
confidence in the morning.
The ‘super’ person
These are people who continually push themselves to breaking
point in an attempt to prove that they aren’t imposters. Success is the
only measurement they know, and they begin to get stressed when they aren’t
experiencing it.
The ‘go-it-alone’ person
These people feel as if they have to do everything on their
own as asking for helping is a sign of weakness, acceptance of defeat, and
ultimately, admittance that they are a fraud.
The ‘genius’
These people are accustomed to taking things in their
stride. When they find something too difficult or struggle to complete a task,
they automatically assume that they aren’t good enough.
The ‘expert’
They want to know everything and without it they are afraid
to suggest their opinion or take otherwise calculated risks. They will refrain
from putting themselves forward with task that sits beyond their level of
guaranteed expertise in fear of looking stupid.
The ‘perfectionist’
With this group, it’s 100 per cent or nothing at all. There
could be one suggested amendment to a 200-page document, and they would take
this as a failed project, feeling unaccomplished.
But, what causes these feelings of inadequacy?
·
38% assign impostor syndrome to self-doubt
·
23% assign it to criticism
·
20% assign it to asking for help
·
16% assign it to comparing themselves to
colleagues
·
15% assign it to a lack of understanding in
regard to what is expected
How to combat these feelings of discontent?
Talk it through
The first thing you need to do is talk about how you feel.
As we’ve previously noted, more than 60 per cent of the UK population
experience the same feelings. A problem shared is a problem halved after all.
Acceptance
There is no denying that every once in a while, we get out
of our depth — we’re only human at the end of the day. Realistically, you
wouldn’t be able to learn if you didn’t have to, once in a while, step beyond
the boundaries of your comfort zone. Accept that sometimes you will have to
hold your hands up and say, ‘I’m stuck’, and things will get a whole lot
easier.
Learn to appreciate success
Sometimes, for someone with imposter
syndrome, the difficulty is not being able to appreciate success and
recognise when they have performed well. This is particularly true for those
who fall into the ‘perfectionist’ category. In order to overcome this
dissatisfaction, you need to take a step back every now and again, realise your
achievement, and pat yourself on the back.
Create an image in your head of success
Think of a changing room before a cup final. Beyond the 90
minutes, if we choose to focus our attention on football for example, the image
in the mind of the players is one of glory. Visualise lifting the hypothetical
trophy and don’t fixate on being branded as a ‘fraud’ along the way.
Ask for help
Do you think that the great leaders and winners of
yesteryear, whether it be in business or politics, succeeded alone?
No, is the answer. Winston Churchill was backed by the
support of a nation, while Bill Gates was aided by the creativity and
innovation of a strong organisation. Asking for help is by no means an
acceptance of defeat. On the contrary, asking for help is an identification
within that means you understand you have more scope to learn.
Professor Sir Cary Cooper is a psychologist on
organisational and workplace psychology, and he points to the fact that
imposter syndrome can have a particularly adverse effect on performance.
Cooper proposes: “Imposter syndrome can inhibit productivity
and seriously impact an individual’s career progression”. However, he follows
up with: “By regularly reminding yourself of your achievements and recent wins,
you can put your feelings of self-doubt into context.”
You will almost never find a situation where potluck is the
sole reason behind your current position.
Believe in yourself.
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Created on Dec 3rd 2020 03:51. Viewed 207 times.