What is Imposter Syndrome?

You may have experienced moments when self-doubt creeps in despite your remarkable accomplishments. This feeling, known as Imposter Syndrome, is not uncommon.

In this empowering blog post, we will delve into the depths of Imposter Syndrome, understand its definition, explore its impact on high-achieving or aspiring women, and discover effective strategies to overcome it. Remember, you are not alone in this journey, and by embracing your unique brilliance, you can triumph over self-doubt and shine brightly in your pursuits.

Imposter Syndrome is a psychological phenomenon that affects individuals in professional settings rather than a psychological condition. This self-doubt syndrome has been prevalent for decade. T

.he term was coined by researchers Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978.

They defined imposter syndrome as an internal experience of “intellectual phonies”. They used this term for individuals who struggle with an internalised belief of being unworthy or inadequate. This is even despite evidence of their competence and achievements. They noticed over their years of supporting high-achieving women within therapy that these beliefs were common. Especially among women with outstanding academic and professional achievements.

Imposter syndrome has now been identified as a phenomenon in men and women; more recently, Dr Gail Matthews identified that more than 70% of successful people have felt like imposters at some point. While this picture may seem bleak, there are sound, proven strategies to help.

Dr Valerie Young is an expert on the subject; through her work, she identified five subgroups of imposter syndrome.
• The perfectionist
• The Superwoman
• The Natural Genius
• The soloist
• The Expert
Let’s look at the five subgroups and a strategy to help each one.

Five subgroups of imposter syndrome; which one are you?

The perfectionist

Suppose you have unrelenting high standards and set incredibly high goals for yourself that you struggle to reach. In that case, you may fit into this subgroup. If you do, you will see your work goals in a very black-and-white way. They are executed perfectly, or you feel like you have failed. Perfectionists also struggle to delegate and want to be intimately involved with every part of a project to make sure it is just so.

Ultimately, you will never feel that you have done well or performed to a good standard, as there is always something you believe you could have done better.

A strategy that will help

Start noting down the accomplish the achievements you make. If this feels difficult, look at the things you do as if they were done by someone else. If a friend or colleague achieved the same thing and you would think they did well, that’s a clue you should note down for yourself. Over time, you will start building a picture of how well you are doing.

The Superwoman

If you fit into this subgroup, you will work longer and harder than everyone else. Perhaps arriving at work first and leaving last. You struggle to switch off and feel plagued with thoughts that you don’t measure up to others despite your hard work.

In this subgroup, the number of achievements you have made through academics and career achievements does nothing to cause you to feel proud. You will likely also see engaging in hobbies as a poor use of your time. You will also feel a sense of validation for a short time when you receive praise. But, this feeling will be short-lived.

A strategy that will help

A good first step is to start to build time into your day where you can decompress. If taking a full lunch break is difficult, schedule a few ten-minute blocks and go for a walk. This will be difficult at first, but you will find that taking that time out will only impact you positively. Over time, you can test the belief that you only do well because of how much you work.

The Natural Genius

Like perfectionists, natural geniuses have impossibly high standards, usually revolving around picking up complex tasks quickly or understanding things the first time. If you fit into this subgroup, you prefer to do things alone rather than seek help; you feel a deep sense of shame if you make a mistake, and you were often referred to as the bright one when you were young.

A strategy that will help

Make a note of something you haven’t got right the first time, and note down what you would say to someone else if they didn’t get it right immediately. Then, practice using the same criteria to measure your own struggles. This will be difficult at first, but this will help you to take a step back and see things from a different perspective.

The soloist

If you are in this subgroup, you are independent to the extreme. You feel that you have failed if you accept help and don’t achieve things on your own. You struggle to accept help because you fear people will realise that you are a failure and an imposter.

A strategy that will help

Remind yourself of what you would do if someone else needed help and apply the same rule to yourself. To begin with, ask for help in something small, and build things up from there.

The Expert

If you are in this subgroup, you strive for knowledge, but despite how much you know, you never feel like your knowledge is to a good enough standard. Experts feel like they can never know enough and measure how good they are by what they know, even though they never think they will know enough.

A strategy that will help

It might sound counterintuitive, but identify a colleague or student with whom you can share your knowledge. Seeing the impact this has on your colleague will help to reduce those feelings that you are a fraud.

In conclusion

If you often feel like an imposter, here are some key things to remember.
• 70% of successful people have felt like imposters at some point
• Identifying which subgroup you fall into is helpful, as you can use the strategies in this article to help.
• Don’t struggle alone; reach out for help; if you find reaching out for help difficult, watch the video below for a helpful suggestion.

Other tips are available here or you can subscribe here to receive regular nuggets of wisdom straight into your inbox.

Try these strategies out and let me know how they go.
Also, if you have any questions, comment below or message here. You can also get in touch for a free 15-minute consultation if you would like to explore whether therapy will help.

That’s all for now, but other articles on this topic are coming in soon.