First of all, what is imposter syndrome?

According to Healthline, imposter syndrome "involves feelings of self-doubt and personal incompetence that persist despite your education, experience, and accomplishments."

It was first described by psychologists Suzanne Imes, PhD, and Pauline Rose Clance, PhD, in 1978 with their paper "The Impostor Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention." They noted that the phenomenon often occurs amongst high achievers, who are unable to internalize and accept their success. Whilst their original research primiarly focused on white women's experiences, more and more research has been studied the impacts of imposter syndrome on marginalised communities; such as women of colour and the LGBTQ+ community.

In short, if you're having constant feelings of self doubt, feeling like a fraud, and writing off your achievements despite the praise of others around you, then you could be suffering with imposter syndrome.

COVID has, of course, had an effect on how imposter syndrome affects us. From career shifts, to hybrid working, and furlough, the pandemic has forced everyone into new situations no-one could have prepared for pre-2020. For many, the not knowing gives way to those tell-tell feelings of self-doubt and inadaquacy common with imposter syndrome.

What does imposter syndrome feel like?

For sufferers, the feelings of imposter syndrome reflect the inner conflict between their perception of themselves and how others see them. You could ace test after test, earn constant praise from your boss, or even recieve awards for your work, but you could never actually believe you earned all those things yourself. It must have all been a fluke, right?

As more time passes, imposter syndrome sufferers will push themselves to work harder to prove themselves, putting immensive pressure on themselves to:

  • Avoid others recognizing their pecieved shortcomings or failures, no matter how big or small
  • Make themselves worthy of job roles they believe they aren't deserving of, such as taking on extra work even if they don't have the time for it
  • Over-compensate for what they believe to be their lack of intelligence, often struggling in silence with a difficult task rather than bother others with questions they fear might be 'stupid'
  • Ease their internalised feelings of guilt over “tricking” people

Even if they recieve more praise and achievements, imposter syndrome sufferers cannot believe that these compliments are real, and every minor mistake fuels their self-doubt even more. It's a harmful cycle that often causes anxiety, depression, and even burnout.

The 5 Types of Imposter Syndrome

In 2011, Dr. Valerie Young - a prominent imposter syndrome researcher - first outlined what she deems the 5 types of imposter sydrome in her book "The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It." In her experience, imposter syndrome often goes beyond just low-confidence; it is the pairing of extremely high self-expectations that causes someone's self-doubt to become chronic, something which manifests in different ways for everyone. These ways are divided into 5 key 'compentence types', which each one reflecting the different internal belief systems held by imposter syndrome sufferers, which we'll go into more detail below:

  • The Perfectionist - These individuals believe that they should already be perfect in every area of their lives, and primarily focus on how they carry out their tasks. However, perfection isn't often a goal any of can reach, and instead of recognising the good work they've already achieved, the Perfectionist will instead reflect on every small mistake made.
  • The Natural Genius - This competence type has naturally been good at picking up new skills with little effort, having perhaps been labeled as a 'gifted child' when younger, and believe that they should be able to pick up everything in life with the same ease. When this isn't the case, or fail on their first attempt at something, Natural Genius' often become ashamed and embarrased of their 'failure'.
  • The Soloist - These individuals believe that they should be able to handle all their tasks and responsibilities alone, without needing help. If the Soloist has to ask or accept help, they often feel they are admitting to being inadequate in their position and a failure.
  • The Expert - This competence type believe that they should already know everything possible when it comes to their work. The Expert believes if they can't answer a question on said topic, or encounter something they didn't know, they are a fraud and have failed at their job.
  • The Superhero - Last but not least, the Superhero believes that they should be able to excel at everything that they do; whether that be at work, or in their personal life. If they're unable to judge every responsiblity perfectly, then they have failed and haven't pushed themselves hard enough to achieve everything they need to.

Other's Experience:

From Sam Fender, to Maya Angelou and even Michelle Obama, there are plenty of examples of  successful, talented individuals who suffer from imposter syndrome.

Michelle Obama spoke out about her experiences of imposter syndrome whilst touring for her best-selling book, Becoming:

“I had to overcome the question ‘am I good enough? It’s dogged me for most of my life. Many women and young girls walk around with that question in their minds.
I overcame that question the same way I do everything – with hard work. I decided to put my head down and let my work speak for itself. I felt like I had something to prove because of the colour of my skin and the shape of my body, but I had to get out of my own way.”

I think I have imposter syndrome, what now?

If you're struggling with imposter syndrome, it's likely that everything your brain is telling you to do - to work harder, to be smarter, to push yourself further - is the exact opposite of what you need. Instead, researchers agree that focusing on strategies to change your self-image and self-esteem are key to resolving the feelings of imposter syndrome.

Some tips for tacking imposter syndrome include:

  • Take responsibilty for how you're feeling: Remember that, at the end of the day, you are the only person in your life who can make the changes you need. Access to the best therapist, self-help books, and coaching are all - of course - helpful, but if you're relcuant to make the change yourself, then in reality not a lot will change.
  • Kick the negative self-talk: The way we talk to ourselves is extremely important, and often - unconsciously - we begin to put ourselves down after every percieved misstep. It's important to begin recognisng when this inner-critic starts up, and to be able to shut it down by working to list more positive qualities you recognise about yourself.
  • Comparision is the thief of joy: Whilst comparison is something that feels unavoidable throughout life, with imposter syndrome it can only enhance your own doubts about your abilities by constantly comparing yourself against fellow collegues, friends, parents, or even that random person on the train. Remind yourself that it's okay to not immediately be amazing at something you only just picked up yesterday, and that you have your own unique abilities that are just as worth celebrating as anyone else's.

Want to know more?

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