8- Information about Imposter Syndrome
?What is Imposter Syndrome
Impostor syndrome is a phenomenon in which people doubt their education, competence, skills, talents, achievements and knowledge, and as a result they feel less competent than they feel from others
They often suffer from a chronic fear that their perceived incompetence will be revealed and that everyone will discover that they are, in fact, a fraud
The term impostor syndrome was first described in the 1970s by psychologists Susanna Eames and Pauline Rose Clans, and the phenomenon was initially thought to affect high-achieving women more frequently, but recent findings indicate that it affects both women and men alike
It can affect people of all backgrounds regardless of their status, field of work, level of experience, amount of skill or number of accomplishments
It may be more common after a job transition, but for some people, these inappropriate feelings may be more persistent
Signs of Imposter Syndrome
.Some of the signs you might have imposter syndrome include
A person needs to be seen as the best
Worry
Belief that success or accomplishments are related to luck or other external forces
Fear of not meeting expectations
Inability to assess skills
The person continues to criticize himself
Having goals that are too high and when they are not achieved the person continues to blame themselves
fear of failure
Fear that others will recognize incompetence
Fear of success
Guilt about success
Having feelings of self-doubt
Excessive achievement
Bad selfie
self sabotage
Also, Impostor Syndrome often leads people to achieve a lot in order to try to prove that they are not fraudulent, and this can lead to success, but it can also lead to a great deal of anxiety
Research has found that imposter syndrome commonly occurs alongside anxiety and depression
Types of Imposter Syndrome
There are five different types of imposter syndrome and they are
Perfectionism: People with this type of syndrome always strive for perfection in every area of their lives, however because their goals and expectations are very unrealistic, it makes meeting these standards impossible
Expert: An individual with this syndrome can only consider himself successful if he knows everything there is to know about a subject, because they believe that they should be fully informed and infallible, facing situations in which they feel uncertainty provokes fraudulent feelings
Solo: This individual feels that he should be able to achieve success without the participation of anyone
Genius: A person with this type of Imposter syndrome often finds it easy to learn new things or acquire new skills, often with little effort, so when faced with challenges that don’t come easily, it can make them feel incompetent or incapable
Super person: People feel this mentality that they must be successful in every area of their life in order to be seen as competent, so when they fail to excel in any area they feel like a failure
Impostor syndrome causes
The exact causes of imposter syndrome are not fully understood, but there are some factors that increase the incidence of this syndrome, including
the family
Families that place a high value on achievement may play a role in causing impostor syndrome, since failure is seen as unacceptable, people develop a great deal of anxiety and may become overly anxious
Children who are under pressure to succeed in school or who are often negatively compared to gifted or high-achieving siblings may be at higher risk
For example, children who are often praised as children for their natural intelligence may also find it difficult when they later struggle to learn new things or perform new skills, because they grew up thinking they were naturally smart and talented, they suddenly faced challenges that required real effort and new learning could It leaves people feeling like they don’t belong
Belonging to a minority group
Research has found that people from minority groups are more likely to develop impostor syndrome, and people who often face pressures from discrimination to assimilate their talents and achievements may experience
personality type
Certain personality traits have also been linked to imposter syndrome. Perfectionist people are more likely to feel underserved
Research also indicates that people with impostor syndrome often score higher on measures of neuroticism and lower on measures of conscientiousness
social comparison
A person always comparing himself to others may also contribute to a feeling of inferiority and inadequacy, and this can be a particular problem when it comes to social media such as Instagram, so because comparing with other people depicting specific moments of their life can make a person feel that his life and abilities are few that are not equal to Who compares himself to them
Impact of Imposter Syndrome.. “The Impostor Syndrome
Impostor syndrome can affect life in different ways
Anxiety: Research indicates that a person with impostor syndrome may be more prone to anxiety, because they put themselves under too much pressure to avoid failure and not be seen as a fraud, which ends up feeling anxiety that can become chronic
Burnout: The constant fear of being detected as a scam often leads people with impostor syndrome to overachieve, because continuing to try to keep up can lead to burnout
Low confidence: Because a person with impostor syndrome has never felt successful, they may experience low self-confidence
Low achievement: While some people may overachieve to compensate for feelings of inadequacy, a 2015 study found that people with impostor syndrome tend to stay in the same job roles because they underestimate their skills
