According to Wikipedia, Impostor Syndrome is a psychological occurrence in which an individual doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments and questions their success. The International Journal of Behavioral Science stated that about 70 percent of people experience it. Experts can’t figure out why this happens.
The National Library of Medicine states that Impostor syndrome became known in 1978. It was considered a phenomenon when it became public in 1985 after two psychologists, Clance and Imes, published a book explaining that it occurs among multiple ethnic and racial groups across different careers. There have been 62 studies since, all concluding that Impostor Syndrome can cause individuals to feel burned out and cause low performance in their jobs.
Consequently, they pressure themselves to work harder to:
- keep others from recognizing their shortcomings or failures,
- become worthy of roles they believe they don’t deserve,
- make up for what they consider a “lack of intelligence,”
- ease feelings of guilt over “tricking” people.
People experiencing Imposter Syndrome tend to work twice as hard to make up for what they think they lack. The downside is any mistake, no matter how minor, can cause these folks to doubt their intelligence and abilities. Consequently, when this occurs, guilt comes into play and causes them to feel burned out, overwhelmed, and it could cause them to make more mistakes leading to a downward spiral of depression. What should be done to prevent this?
- Acknowledge the negative thoughts and put the successes in perspective by remembering your steps to earn them.
- The hardest one is not to compare self to others.
- Celebrate your success!
- It’s normal to have moments of doubt, so don’t be afraid to share your feelings with the ones you trust the most.
Many great exercises can help, for example, self-talk. What is self-talk? It’s the way you talk to yourself or also known as your inner voice. When talking to ourselves, it can be negative or positive. In this case, we must be positive, so what statements can help keep positivity and manage Impostor Syndrome? Some examples follow:
- I am not a fraud.
- I am as good as people say I am.
- I accept and appreciate compliments.
- I am an expert in my field.
- I am capable of great things.
- My accomplishments are valid.
- I may make mistakes, and that is fine.
- I am an innovative thinker.
- I am a gifted strategist.
- I have what it takes to be successful.
“The blog called “Quotes from 9 successful and powerful women with Impostor Syndrome’ states, when we feel this Imposter Syndrome and hear the inner bully talk, we don’t tend to share it with other people because it feels shameful. So, we bottle it up. The problem is, SOOO many people feel this way, by talking about it and connecting on this common unpleasant trait, we start to realize that we aren’t alone. Isolation breeds negativity. Connection breeds harmony.”
Now that you know how common this syndrome is, share these tips with anyone; it could significantly impact them.
To learn more about Impostor Syndrome, reference the articles below.
Quotes from 9 successful and Powerful Woman with Impostor Syndrome
How to Deal with Impostor Syndrome
Prevalence, Predictors, and Treatment of Impostor Syndrome: A Systematic Review
You’re Not a Fraud. Here’s How to Recognize and Overcome Imposter Syndrome
Viola Davis: All artists have “imposter syndrome”
55 Positive Affirmations For Imposter Syndrome – Overcome Self-sabotage (blogtrovert.com)
Esmeralda Parra is a Career Navigator for the Regional Team. Before taking the role Ms. Parra worked at a Career office and served many customers, mainly customers interested in the AEL programs provided by Workforce Solutions and their partnerships. Though she has a history in customer service she is very passionate in helping and teaching others. Her newest passion is the topic of mental health, and hopes to share helpful tips that can help individuals in the Workforce. She also plans to pursue a career in teaching.
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