Let’s rethink imposter syndrome

Imposter syndrome is a crippling doubt in your knowledge and skills, and a shame and fear related to your professional position to the extent that affects one’s wellbeing and professional life. This is not due to actually lacking in intellect or knowledge, as reportedly even Albert Einstein suffered from it, but rather feeling like you do. We know that imposter syndrome affects all genders, races, ages, and professional fields and although it is not a mental health diagnosis, it is a widely recognized condition. We also know that these experiences arise from low self-esteem and are linked to issues in the upbringing, tendencies towards perfectionism, highly competitive environments and a lack of belonging. If you’d like to assess the severity of your own symptoms, you can do so by filling in the Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale.

The most effective solution is to see a therapist who specializes in working with people who suffer from Imposter syndrome. Since the causes of this condition are psychological, the remedy will be linked to strengthening your sense of worth and psychological security. Unfortunately, many of us do not have excess time or finances to dedicate to personal psychotherapy. Instead, you might be tempted to get better at what you do (e.g., get more qualifications, more publications, better positions) with a hope that will ease your feelings, but unfortunately imposter syndrome works the opposite way. I myself thought that when I receive my PhD, then I will no longer feel like a failure who somehow miraculously managed to slip through the cracks. Instead, my imposter syndrome skyrocketed when I became a postdoc researcher, since my decisions were directly affecting lives of other people when I was in charge of assessing papers, thesis and even dissertations as a member of teaching staff and various scientific boards. So is there anything we can do ourselves to decrease the severity of Imposter syndrome?

I suggest thinking of when, instead of why do we experience it. The main catalyst for imposter syndrome is success, therefore more success you have, more crippling feelings of inadequacy you’ll be faced with. The author of the beforementioned Impostor Scale - Dr. Pauline Rose Clance - wrote a book “When success makes you feel like a fake” for this exact reason. So first of all, let’s celebrate your achievements! When we feel inadequate, we don’t “waste” the time reviewing and acknowledging what we have done, we instead dive right into the next project on the burning list of things that must be done next. This causes us to quickly forget our accomplishments and underestimate all the academic development and the sheer amount of work that went into your projects. Whilst you might feel that concentrating on the endless list of things we haven’t done yet will lead to the biggest developments, in the long run this is causing you serious issues.

The second part of when you experience imposter syndrome is the lack of belonging. First of all, we need to accept that having a thought doesn’t mean it is true. This means that you stop trying to cure self-esteem issue with additional education or work, and instead look to psychological solutions. Second, we need to understand how common this is. You would be surprised how many of us think that way, and have a look at various books written on this topic or simply explore some Reddit threads or join one of the Facebook groups. And finally, when you are ready, you will see that sharing these experiences out loud makes all the difference. It is natural that no one feels like announcing “I am an incompetent fraud” at a random work meeting, but when you start sharing these feelings with supportive peers and colleagues, you’ll find that removing silence and isolation deflates the shame and loneliness.

Finally, I will share two personal insights that helped to appease my relentless inner critic. First, I decided that it is not my job to assess weather my articles are worth a publication or if my work amounts to a PhD, or if I belong on a scientific board. My job is to submit an article, or dissertation, or to give my opinion on a topic, and the assessment of it is none of my concern. And second, I got inspired by Cha Sa-Soon who took 960 tests to get her driver’s license in 2010 at the age of 69. It is not clear what Sa-Soon struggled with the most, but what’s undeniable is her extraordinary perseverance. I told myself that if I am truly the most stupid and lazy person ever admitted to a doctoral school, it would be an actual achievement for my fellow sloths for me to succeed. So, whatever imaginary or real limitations you are facing right now, just carry on with your work!