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#23 Do you feel like a fraud?

Imposter syndrome is a double-edged sword.

#23 Do you feel like a fraud?

Are you feeling out of place? Well, the chances are that you are probably not alone.

Imposter syndrome is a psychological occurrence where an individual who has achieved success cannot accept it, and attributes that success to luck instead of their own ability. They have an internalised fear that they are not worthy of the esteemed position they hold and this makes them feel like a fraud. The term was coined by psychologists, Suzanna Imes and Pauline Rose Clance in the 1970s. It was originally found to be a phenomenon that occurred in high achieving women, but after more research was conducted, it was seen to have an effect on men as well.

Research conducted in the United States, estimated that at least 70% of the population had experienced imposter syndrome at some point in their life. Studies have shown that women in high-tech jobs and first-generation university students suffer the most from this phenomenon.

A study showed that people of colour who face imposter syndrome also tend to feel more out of place and perceive themselves to be incompetent. Imposter syndrome can trigger feelings of anxiety and depression, negatively affecting one’s mental health. This hampers an individual’s ability to interact with peers of family. It can lead to procrastination, where a person is unable to start a task, as they feel that it will not be possible to do a good enough job. Individuals who come from families that place a high value on success and feel an immense pressure to achieve are more likely to feel like an imposter.

Minorities suffer more because they feel that even their best effort is not good enough to succeed. This can lead to an individual feeling a huge burden and then overworking, in a pursuit for perfectionism. Imposter syndrome can be difficult to spot as people tend to suffer in silence. People may self-sabotage because they feel they do not warrant recognition or respect in their respective field. Over use of social media can trigger feelings of feeling like an imposter as you see the success of other people and feel you do not deserve the same, or do not have the ability to achieve the same, even if you have all the same attributes and qualifications.

Individuals who suffer from imposter syndrome tend to focus too much on their work and this can spill over into their personal lives and cause difficulties in communicating with friends and family. The risk of self-imposter syndrome can be minimised with organisational support or therapy.One research actually came to the conclusion, that people can use the self-imposter syndrome to their benefit, instead of letting it have debilitating effects. The study believes that imposters are more empathetic so they have better communication skills and can work well in groups. It also shows that working harder than required, can help imposters to actually produce better work, than their non-imposter employees.

In the end, it is about removing the underlying assumption that imposter- syndrome can only have negative effects. One has to embrace their self-doubt and gradually improvements can be made.


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