IMPOSTER SYNDROME:
The Handbrake On Your Confidence, Success And Happiness
In 1978, two clinical psychologists – Dr. Pauline Clance and Dr. Suzanne Imes – discovered a phenomenon commonly experienced by high achieving academic students.
These students often experienced pervasive feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and self-doubt, particularly when facing important exams or dissertations.
Even PhD faculty at universities across the country experienced what they came to refer to as Imposter Phenomenon or Imposter Syndrome.
The Impact of Imposter Syndrome extends way beyond Academia
Finally, we are recognizing the consequences of Imposter Syndrome at work.
70% of people experience Imposter Syndrome at some stage in their career. 33% of people experience it at a chronic level, meaning some version of ‘I’m not good enough’ impacts them frequently and intensely.
Imposter Syndrome impacts performance
Research shows that Imposter Syndrome can diminish our career aspirations, our ability to engage and contribute to the extent of our potential, our awareness of our value which impacts our ability to ask for fair pay and opportunities. It reduces our contribution to the team, and innovation when we believe that will show us up as not being good enough.
Do you experience Imposter Syndrome? And if so, how is it playing out and what price are you paying for the experience?
You don’t feel like an Imposter all the time, right!?
That’s the challenge! It tends to hit out of the blue, causing your confidence to desert you when you need it most.
What triggers that feeling for you?
Is it being asked to speak without notice? Or being challenged on a conclusion you reached or being micro-managed or …? I suggest you start paying attention to what was going on at the time the self-doubt hit you. That’s when you find gold!
It’s not what happens … it’s what you do with it.
We all see the world differently and respond to it differently. The same situation will elicit different responses in people experiencing it, depending on their past experiences, beliefs and current perspective.
Moving beyond Imposter Syndrome is NOT a quick fix. It’s not 5 tips or 7 ways …
It’s a journey and one of the most fascinating journeys you’ll ever undertake. It’s the journey to who you truly are.
If you take the challenge and work to deepen your self-awareness, your life and career WILL change.
