Imposter Syndrome by Laura Carpenter

Project 4
Imposter Syndrome
By Laura Carpenter

(New York Times, 2015)

“A collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success. ‘Imposters’ suffer from chronic self-doubt and a sense of intellectual fraudulence that override any feelings of success or external proof of their competence.” Imposter Syndrome was a name coined by psychologists, Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes, for a type of self-doubt. It is more of a problem than most people think, and more common than many believe. Most people who struggle with imposter syndrome are highly successful, and are walking around in life waiting for people to find out they are a ‘fraud’ and that they don’t really belong. “Imposter Syndrome” sounds like a made-up name, which leads people to believe that it is not a legitimate issue, but new research suggests that high achieving individuals struggle with attributing their success to their own abilities. By observing self-doubt, famous individuals who have experienced the syndrome, and how to “cure” it, I want to prove how impactful Imposter Syndrome truly is, and how it affects a multitude of people around us. It is important for those struggling with the voice in their head, that they are not alone, and that their doubts are legitimate.

        Self-doubt is a simple enough term. We often think of people who struggle with self-doubt to be those who have a reason to; maybe those are the ones who aren’t quite as athletic as most, or aren’t the smartest in their group of friends, or the prettiest. We don’t often refer to self-doubt in individuals who are at the top of their class, or who are the star of a team, or are leading scientists in their field, but imposter syndrome focuses in on those types of people. “It’s at the moment when you’re most vulnerable that all your doubts come crashing in around you” (Richards, 2015). When you perform at a certain level, you are expected to have great outcomes, the winning touchdown, or other things of that matter, and when those things perhaps are not achieved, the feelings of fraudulence settle in deep. New York Times writer, Carl Richards, admits that the first time he heard the voice in his head saying he was an imposter, the fear was paralyzing. He also says that when he brought up the matter to his business coach, he was shocked that this thing had a name, and that he was only one of many that struggled with it. No one likes to admit their weaknesses, and struggling with imposter syndrome is seen as a weakness for many, giving them more reason to believe they are a fraud. However, admitting these fears and doubts can actually be therapeutic in learning you are not alone. Since many feel like they are alone in their doubts and fears about being an “imposter”, it leads others around them to believe that it's made up, a way to gain attention or pity. (Richards, 2015)

        Carl Richards goes on to analyze his own feelings towards imposter syndrome, and what he believes causes and inflames it. He believes that imposter syndrome comes from a “natural sense of humility in our work. That’s healthy, but it can easily cross the line into paralyzing fear. When we have a skill or talent that has come naturally we tend to discount its value”(Richards, 2015). We tend to believe that whatever is natural, or easy for us, can’t offer any real value to the world; it actually leads to discounting its value, even though we usually want our skill to look and feel natural (Richards, 2015). In 2014, psychologist Frederik Anseel and his colleagues decided to take a closer look at imposter syndrome by looking at a study of more than 200 Belgian workers in finance, education and human-resource management. They “found that workers who reported feelings that are consistent with imposter syndrome tended to score higher on measures of neuroticism and excessive perfectionism in personality tests. They were also not as happy with their jobs as were colleagues who did not experience the syndrome” (Woolston, 2016). The more you think about it, the more that makes sense. Obviously those who struggle with neuroticism and excessive perfectionism are going to have a harder time accepting their own talent and hard work, because they always believe they can do better, and should do better. They probably also believe that more is expected out of them, even though they are performing perfectly fine, if not, above average (Woolston, 2016). Along with claims of success belonging to chance rather than hard work and talent, people may also suffer from anxiety and depression alongside their self-doubt. Therefore, self-doubt is the root of Imposter Syndrome.

        There is a large range of people, who struggle with Imposter Syndrome, but they all have something in common, they all put a large amount of pressure on themselves to be successful and to perform above adequate. Many don’t realize the effect that Imposter Syndrome has on multiple celebrities. A lot of these being women celebrities; this is because women are a large portion of those who suffer due to the pressure they put on themselves to live up to the men around them and the men who have been documented throughout history. Academy Award winning actress, Kate Winslet, has been quoted saying: “I’d wake up in the morning before going off to a shoot, and think, I can’t do this; I’m a fraud.” According to an article in the New Yorker, Facebook Executive and author, Sherl Sandberg, has also admitted to similar feelings. Emma Watson, who plays Hermoine Granger in Harry Potter has also stated that she struggled with feelings of being an imposter for years, even with the multitude of success of harry potter (Wessel, 2015). Despite having won three Grammy’s and being nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award, author and poet, Maya Angelou shared that, “I have written 11 books, but each time I think, ‘Uh oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re going to find me out.’” (Richards, 2015)

        Although famous people --those that we look up to, and see on TV-- may struggle, many who are in our lives every day also deal with these feelings of inadequacy. Students, especially those at Ivy League schools, struggle with self-doubt. This tends to happen because they were the “star” of the school all the way through High School, and now they are, for the first time, not the smartest person in the room. Josh Drew, an evolutionary ecologist at Columbia University, states: “Here, being at the top of your class is just average”(Woolston, 2016). This is a shock to their system, and students don’t know how to handle it; they are used to all the attention and the glory, and now they just blend in. That is a huge blow to their confidence, and results in feelings of being an imposter to even be at an Ivy League school, whereas, many students can’t even imagine having the opportunity to attend such a school. (Woolston, 2016)

        Another group, who struggles with imposter syndrome, is the world of scientists. “Scientists are especially vulnerable, largely because they work in hero-oriented filed that treats its highest achievers as if they are sports stars, leaving many others to wonder in silence whether they are second-stringers or worse” (Woolston, 2016). Scientists tend to have those feelings of doubt creep in also because of sporadic failure, in grants, jobs, or in publications; they are constantly being turned down for things, which leaves them feeling inadequate, however, that is just a part of the job. Charles Darwin complained that “one lives only to make blunders”, and John Steinbeck wrote: “I am assailed by my own ignorance and inability” (Woolston, 2016). Therefore, those who struggle with imposter syndrome are in some lofty company.

        Lastly, many have decided to fight back, these feelings of doubt and fear are taking over lives and people want to be back to normal. There are several suggestions on how to do this. Anseel believes that researchers would be more confident if they were to embrace the inevitability of failure (Woolston, 2016). It is also imperative to stop any comparisons made between colleagues and friends. Comparisons never result well for anyone, and therefore, should be stopped before investigated. Along with comparisons, it is important to realize self-worth does not come from the opinions of others. Biologist Victoria Metcalf struggled with self-doubt for many years, and says that it is an uphill battle, that she continues to fight, but she is winning because she decided to take control and fight (Woolston, 2016). Enough with scientists; for the average straggler, finding ways to increase your value while doing the things you love is probably the most important thing you can do. Carl Richards suggests using imposter syndrome as a way to motivate you. Prove to yourself that you are better than the voice in your head suggests, that you are not an imposter, but a worthy participant in your life (Richards, 2015). If you can recognize self-doubt as a part of personal development, you can tame it, and use it for good. Also, it is important to set reasonable standards for yourself. Believing I will rule the world one day would be far too lofty of a goal. Setting impossible standards only sets you up for failure. (Wessel, 2015)

As more research is published, and more people come forth with these feelings of self-doubt and fraud, the more people believe that this is a real and rampant issue. No one desires to live in fear. No one wants to feel inadequate. We need to be more accepting of people who struggle with these feelings, so others feel comfortable coming forth, and therefore can move on. It all starts from self-doubt, and blossoms into a lifetime of worry. We would be a far more successful as a nation, if those who struggle with imposter syndrome, actually used it to fuel their work and their accomplishments.