Overcoming Impostor Syndrome

What is Impostor Syndrome?

“The imposter syndrome is a psychological term referring to a pattern of behavior where people doubt their accomplishments and have a persistent, often internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud.”

- Psychology Today

Clance and Imes (1978) utilized the term Impostor Phenomenon to describe the traits and behaviors of a group of high-achieving women who were struggling to internalize their success. These women described feelings of fraudulence because they did not attribute their success to their own abilities despite many achievements and accolades. Imposters see themselves as unworthy of the level of praise they are receiving because they do not believe they have earned such recognition based on their capabilities, causing heightened levels of anxiety and stress (Clance & Imes, 1978; Cowman & Ferrari, 2002; Harvey & Katz, 1985; Hutchins, 2015; Kets de Vries, 2005). 

In the face of faltering self-confidence, internalization of failures, and over focus on mistakes over the long term, stress and anxiety become constant companions. As a result, impostors strive to minimize both by working longer, working harder and seeking perfection (Cowman & Ferrari, 2002; Sakulku & Alexander, 2011; Thompson, Foreman, & Martin, 2000). The impostor often over estimates the abilities of others and underestimates the amount of work those individuals put into their success.

Imposters often:

  • internalize failure, but not success
  • over focus on mistakes 
  • work harder and longer, seeking (impossible) perfection
  • suffer from stress and anxiety
  • self-sabotage opportunities for success to alleviate the stress

Impostor Syndrome and Students

Much of the research into impostor syndrome focused on students. In a 1985 study, researchers Harvey and Katz (1985) linked impostor behaviors in individuals who are first in the family to exceed norms or expectations for success in career, financial, and educational goals. For faculty, this finding may really hit home. If this position exceeds norms and expectations, it is easier to feel this way. 

Impostor syndrome manifests in college-age students has been positively correlated to both lack of parental care (Sonnak and Towell, 2001) and heightened paternal parental control (Li, Hughes, & Thu, 2014; Sonnak & Towell, 2000; Want & Kleitman (2006). So, if you encounter students with the syndrome, you might understand more about where they are coming from. 

 

Who Feels Like an Impostor?

The honest answer to this question is: almost everyone. At one point or another, most people feel like they don't belong, that they aren't prepared, or that they aren't capable. It's just part of being human. Because impostor syndrome is a pervasive, long-lasting feeling of inadequacy - even in the face of success - not everyone who has occasional doubts about themselves deals with impostor syndrome. 

The research around the phenomenon is clear - some groups of people feel it more than others. Unsurprisingly, people from historically marginalized groups in higher education are more likely than others to feel like impostors. Women and people or color are on the list, as well as people from non-dominant groups (for example, men in health care or women in automotive). Not seeing yourself reflected in your field or discipline can lead to impostor syndrome. Additionally, some of us are simply more likely to deal with impostor syndrome; it takes more for us to feel confident, and it takes longer to feel like we belong. 

Even though that is the case, there are ways to work to overcome impostor syndrome. 

Quote from author Valerie Young, "The goal is not to never feel like an impostor... They can still have an impostor moment, but not an impostor life." 

 

What Helps?

The top approach is simple - name it. By talking about it and addressing it head on, we take some of the power away. We also normalize the feeling by naming it. It is a common feeling, and the more we acknowledge it as a part of the process of building confidence and a sense of belonging, more people will experience it as a moment - one step in a longer process. 

A great resource is "How to Overcome Impostor Syndrome Links to an external site.," by Sindhumathi Revuluri (from The Chronicle of Higher Education, Oct. 4, 2018). The author lists eleven approaches to put impostor syndrome in its proper place. I have included a few below, and I hope that you will review the article for more information. 

"Ignore the problem of other minds. With apologies to philosophers, this boils down to: You don’t know what other people are thinking about you; they don’t know what you are thinking, either. Even their clear statements about your work do not reveal anyone’s disposition about your suitability for academic life. Academic work may feel more personal than other kinds, but it is important to remember that assessment of your scholarship is just that — it reflects your work, not you. For those of you whose scholarly work involves deconstructing words, this may be a difficult habit to break."

"Don’t confuse genuine humility with feeling like an impostor. At the same time, don’t give away your hard-earned findings. Say you are delivering a conference talk and the pre-eminent scholar of your field is in the room. Acknowledge that person. The truth is — whether you are furthering the senior eminence’s work or digging a tunnel under it that will lead to its collapse — you couldn’t be doing what you are doing without that person. Maintain your integrity by being honest with yourself and others about where your work builds on that of others.

"Learn how to take criticism. One of the best books on that subject Links to an external site. is Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well (even when it is off base, unfair, poorly delivered, and, frankly, you’re not in the mood) by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen. They encourage us to look for what might be true in feedback, no matter how viciously it was framed. What is someone actually saying about your work (not just what you think they are saying)? Are you translating a reader’s report comment from “The author should have included the following secondary sources,” to “The author has no idea what he is talking about”? Maybe the latter is what the reviewer meant but that’s not what he or she said. The first you can do something about — go add those secondary sources and send the article back out. The latter interpretation probably isn’t true, and even if it were, there wouldn’t be much you could do about it in the context of revising your article."

"Think about the factors that could contribute to feeling like an impostor. What are the demographics of your discipline? The history of your field? Are you what people expect from a graduate student or faculty member? Our personal identities and life experiences are often major assets to us, and it is important to remember that other people’s first impressions are not the same as our self-worth.

"Academics use the term impostor syndrome to talk about our feelings and perceptions. But you should be aware: There is also more recent research Links to an external site. showing that the phenomenon hits especially hard among scholars who are members of minority groups and/or are studying topics that are marginalized in academic culture. In other words, some academics don’t just feel like impostors, they are made to feel like impostors, no matter how self-assured, smart, and confident they are. So while impostor syndrome may affect all academics, some are disproportionately unsupported in overcoming it.

 

Additional Resources

Many of the following resources are focused on supporting students dealing with impostor syndrome, and the advice suggested is just as relevant for faculty.