What is Impostor Syndrome?
Suffering from impostor syndrome usually means you’re experiencing self-doubt and feeling like a fraud. You’re unable to internalize your own accomplishments, struggling to believe in your own ability or skill. Sound familiar?
You’re Not Alone
Psychologists Clance and Imes first described impostor phenomenon in 1978. Clance originally identified the syndrome among high-achieving professional women, but it has now been documented amongst many populations and observed across disciplines. Some studies suggest that 70% of people will experience at least one episode of impostor syndrome in their lifetime. Studies also show that prevalence is particularly high in minoritized individuals.
Where does it come from?
Rather than being an internal personal failing, the feelings associated with impostor syndrome are often a direct response to environments. The cultural understanding of impostor syndrome highlights how systemic inequities like racism, sexism, and exclusion contribute to these feelings in people of colour, women, and other groups who face competency checking and a lack of belonging.
Framing impostor syndrome solely as a personal failing is a misdirection that ignores the role of systemic issues, such as lack of opportunity, racism, and sexism. Recognizing the cultural and systemic roots of impostor syndrome shifts the focus from individuals to the broader structures that create these insecurities, promoting collective responsibility and structural solutions.
Examples of Cultural Roots of Impostor Syndrome
Stereotypes and Pressure: Cultural narratives, such as the "model minority" stereotype, can create immense pressure to excel, leading to anxiety and impostor feelings when individuals don't meet those high (often unrealistic) standards.
Lack of Representation: For marginalized groups, a lack of relatable role models in positions of power can make it harder to feel like they belong, increasing self-doubt.
Systemic Biases: Women and people of colour often experience constant "competency checking" in professional settings due to systemic biases, which undermines their achievements and makes them question their qualifications.
Cultural Navigation: Individuals with mixed backgrounds may feel pressure to conform to only one aspect of their identity, or be made to feel like they don't fully belong to any community, leading to feelings of being an impostor in their own life.
What does it look like?
As with any human experience, impostor syndrome can look different for different people. However, these are some aspects that many people share:
Contributing Factors
Stressful or intimidating situations
Systemic Issues (such as racism or sexism)
Perfectionism
A family of origin that valued high achievement, often above all else
Social media
Capitalism
Common Characteristics
Feeling undeserving of achievements or merits (‘that award should have gone to someone else’)
Difficulty internalizing success (‘anyone could have done that’, ‘I was lucky’)
Chronic feelings of inadequacy or incompetence - even with objective success (‘I didn’t deserve that promotion’)
Dismissal of positive feedback (‘they’re just being nice’)
Symptoms
Anxiety
Depression
Overworking
Burnout
Exhaustion
Avoidance of demanding tasks
Being dissociated from work
A Form Of Shame
Impostor syndrome can be seen as a form of shame, arising from the message that you are not enough. This can create really difficult feedback loops - for example:
constant anxiety that others have overestimated you
—> you over-work to try to ‘be good enough’ to live up to their perceived (or real) expectations
—> you don’t have the capacity to examine or soothe your anxiety, or take care of anxiety symptoms
—> the anxiety continues and builds
your approach to work is overly perfectionistic
—> you can’t consistently (or maybe even ever) achieve the impossibly high standards set
—> this internally confirms your belief that you’re not good enough
—> you continue to over-work and potentially burn out
What can I do about it?
There are multiple ways to challenge and cope with impostor syndrome. This subject deserves it’s own blog post, so for now, some further reading:
References / Recommended Reading
Feeling Like a Fraud? A Deep Dive Into Impostor Syndrome.
https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/impostor-syndrome
Overthinking About Impostor Syndrome - Magical Overthinkers Podcast. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/overthinking-about-imposter-syndrome/id1745220403?i=1000658740797
Prevalence, Predictors, and Treatment of Impostor Syndrome: a Systematic Review.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7174434/
Therapy can be a really helpful space to unpack how impostor syndrome is affecting you. If you’re considering this path, I encourage you to reach out for a free consult at hello@maevecounselling.com.