I‘ve experienced it many times before, but back then I didn’t know what I was going through. Then, the term got popular at one point and I decided to watch few videos about it and made me realize. Have I experienced Imposter Syndrome?
Many of us had heard it before, even many of us had experienced it at least one episode in our lives. However, not many understand how and what it actually is. Imposter Syndrome (IS), or when it’s first researched called the Imposter Phenomenon, is not a medical condition, but rather, a pattern of thinking.
It has a definition in which people feel incompetent and lack of ability even when they already achieve something. They feel as if they are wearing a mask and are perceived as a fraud by others, hence the name Impostor Syndrome.
When it was first researched by psychologists Suzanna Imes and Pauline Rose Clance in 1978, it’s first said that only women experience Imposter Phenomenon.
However, many researches after this would conclude that all people excluding their sex and gender can also suffer the Imposter Phenomenon.
Based on the research, families can contribute really deeply to the syndrome. There are two types of people. One comes from a family with other siblings that are perceived as the “brain” of the family. This can cause the “ordinary” sibling to feel the need for attention by achieving more and more.
On the other hand, one comes from a family where they’re treated as the “special” one. Their parents said that she is the intellect and the talented member of the family. Throughout her life, she’d been implementing the label to herself that she can accomplish anything and has the “responsibility” to be the golden figure in the family. However, once she fails at something, she begins to self-doubt and lose herself.
Many would relate Imposter syndrome with perfectionism. This is indeed true due to the feeling of wanting to achieve high results, and both would pressure themselves too much. For instance, they over prepare and overanxious when they want to do a presentation. If they fail, however, it would cause them to constant self-doubt.
Imposter syndrome also goes hand in hand with social anxiety. People with social anxiety tend to mistrust themselves for entering a certain social environment. They feel that they don’t have a right to be there and would be terrified if other people know them what’s behind the mask.
Not all people with IS suffer from social anxiety and/or perfectionism. However, both can be a fuel for IS. That is why, people with social anxiety and perfectionism have a high chance of experiencing Imposter Syndrome.
People with IS are also likely to treat success like a superstition. They feel in order to gain the results, they have to go through certain procedures like self-torture by pressuring themselves too much. I personally have experienced many cases of this syndrome throughout my life, and I’m sure almost everyone does.
In fact, according to a journal by J.Sakulku, it is predicted that 70% of people will experience this at least once in their lives. This proves that many people regardless of how wealthy, how successful, or how talented they are, people still hold false beliefs that they are not capable enough. This is why it’s important to know that you’re not alone.
Links I use:
Slice of Bread and Life 