Four reasons for the development of the impostor syndrome, an explanation of the essence of the phenomenon with examples from life. Symptoms of the syndrome and P. Clance test for self-diagnosis. Practical recommendations for working on yourself.
Haunted by the feeling that you are taking someone else's place at work? Do you attribute all victories to luck or the inattention of your rivals, and in case of a loss, look for the reason only in yourself? Everything is clear: you have become a hostage to the impostor syndrome.
What is Impostor Syndrome?
In simple terms, the impostor syndrome is a mental state in which a person devalues his achievements and is sure that he achieved everything in life by accident. It seems to him that he is deceiving others, taking someone else's place and will soon be exposed. Most often, experiences are associated with the work sphere.
The concept of "impostor syndrome" was introduced by psychologists P. Clance and S. Ames (1978). They studied the state of successful women who were sure that all their successes were accidental: “lucky”, “people overestimate”. Later, these and other scientists conducted new studies, and it became clear that people of any gender, age, social status, etc., suffer from the impostor syndrome.
Signs of Impostor Syndrome
People describe this condition in different ways, for example, like this: “It seems to me that I am still a child who ended up among adults, somehow got into a prestigious job and even has clients. It seems to me that I am deceiving others ("Well, what kind of specialist am I?") And my deception is about to be revealed."
Fear of exposure changes the way a person thinks and behaves. Here's what it translates into (signs of impostor syndrome):
- fear of taking on new tasks (“I don’t know how to do anything. It’s not clear how I cope with these tasks - I’m lucky. New and more complex tasks, I definitely won’t handle”);
- lack of self-confidence, frequent doubts, problems with decision-making;
- search for the reason for your success in the mistakes of other people, the influence of third-party factors ("Just lucky")
- dissatisfaction with work, fear of quitting or asking for a raise, understating prices for their services ("I miraculously got here. I definitely won't get anywhere else", "If I raise prices, I will be left without clients altogether").
People with impostor syndrome are often victims of burnout, addictions, and depression. People with Impostor Syndrome cannot accept compliments, praise, gifts, or pay for their work.
Causes of the syndrome
Why does a person devalue himself? Let us briefly denote where it comes from:
- Initial exit to work, or fear due to lack of experience. For example, many graduates of universities, colleges and other educational institutions face this when they get their first job.
- Change of work to a more complex, prestigious one. The person is afraid that he will not cope with the new responsibilities.
- Childhood injuries that led to the development of an inferiority complex. For example, parents praised one child and constantly compared another with him - the second developed the impostor syndrome in the future. Or, on the contrary, the parents gave the child everything on a silver platter, over-praised and inadequately assessed his abilities. He grew up and realized that everything is not so simple, and at the same time he concluded: "Apparently, I still don't know a damn thing, worse than others."
- Mobbing or bullying. In childhood or already in adulthood, other people convinced a person that his abilities are zero, and there are no advantages - only disadvantages.
The basis of the impostor syndrome is internal conflict. On the one hand, a person wants to be the best and worthy, on the other hand, he considers himself to be worse than others. He is constantly sucked into the abyss of self-digging.
How to check if you have imposter syndrome
P. Clance has developed a special test to identify the impostor syndrome. It consists of 20 questions, each must be answered with one of the ready-made options:
- no (1 point),
- rarely (2 points),
- sometimes (3 points),
- often (4 points),
- yes (5 points).
I publish the questions of the impostor syndrome test and at the end of the key (if interested, you can check yourself online right now):
Now add up the points and evaluate the result:
- 40 points or less - no impostor syndrome;
- from 41 to 60 - a moderate manifestation of the impostor syndrome;
- from 61 to 80 - you are often worried about the manifestations of the impostor syndrome;
- more than 80 points - an intense manifestation of the impostor syndrome, urgently seek help from a psychologist.
How to get rid of impostor syndrome
So how to deal with impostor syndrome? You can only control this state on your own. To overcome it forever, you need to go through a full-fledged psychotherapy.
What can you do yourself? Fight for rationality as much as possible:
- Write down all your achievements step by step, note the efforts and efforts - conquer anxiety and unfounded criticism with facts.
- Track the situations in which you again go into depreciation, and disassemble them. Identify the main trigger and think about how to remove it.
- Remind yourself that self-attitude is the result of past destructive experiences. By the way, what is the cause of the syndrome you have?
- Try to focus on the process rather than goals and results.
- Strive for “good enough”, not “perfect”. In psychology, it is believed that a person has a healthy self-esteem when he says about himself like this: "I am no worse and no better than others."
- Share your experiences.
I recommend reading the books on Impostor Syndrome. In them you will find many practical exercises, case studies and even more theory. For example, read the book by Sandy Mann Impostor Syndrome. How to stop devaluing your successes and constantly prove to yourself and others that you are worthy."
