May 30, 20236 min read

We are Enough, The impact of Imposter Phenomenon.

By Talia Segura

What is Imposter Phenomenon?

Imposter phenomenon, better known as imposter syndrome, is the phenomenon in which we doubt our inner experience of success, accomplishments, and skill, which do not match actual external experiences and skill level. Imposter phenomena creates a space of feeling as though we constantly doubt our abilities and skill in multiple situations. We may struggle with setting unrealistic goals for ourselves within social, educational, and occupational settings and face severe disappointment when those goals are not met.

The Five Types of Imposter Phenomena

There are five diverse types of imposter phenomena which include:

The Perfectionist - This may feel like unless you are perfect, you can always do better. You may hyperfocus on how you do things to the point where you expect perfection in every aspect of your life. We often feel ashamed or embarrassed as we feel like a failure for not achieving perfection.

The Expert - This type may feel like an imposter due to the inability to have a proficiency in a particular subject or field. Due to the endless possibility of learning it feels difficult to feel like an expert. We may spend more time learning and more knowledge than we do on completing the main task.

The Natural Genius - This may feel like you are an imposter due to believing that you are not naturally as intelligent or competent as those around us. We often feel that competent people are able to complete tasks much easier than we do, leading us to feel like a fraud when it is difficult for us to complete. When we do not succeed on the first try or “come easily to us” we may feel embarrassed or ashamed.

The Soloist - This may feel like being an imposter if you have to ask for help or aid to complete a project or reach a level of success. If you cannot achieve it on your own, you question your competence. When we have to ask for help it may require us to address our inadequacies and feel as though we are a failure.

The Superperson - This may feel like believing that you must be the hardest worker or reach the highest level of achievement possible in any given interest or topic. If you do not achieve it, you may feel like a fraud.

What Causes Imposter Phenomena?

While imposter phenomena affect many adults it may be difficult to identify where it stems from. It has been shown that imposter phenomena can stem from childhood experiences with caregivers putting pressure into doing well in academic settings. This may feel like our caregivers placed high value on academic achievement and success along with heavy criticism when the caregiver’s expectations are not met. Oftentimes there may be comparisons between siblings or other household members which create further feelings of inner conflict. Caregivers may overemphasize the child’s natural intelligence while sharply criticizing them. When working with children it is important to praise the child’s effort and not the outcome, by working towards realistically understanding their strengths and limitations it creates a healthier way of viewing their skills.

Who is Affected by Imposter Phenomena?

Imposter phenomena can affect everyone differently although it highly affects different genders and minority communities specifically in academic and occupational settings. Underrepresented groups are more likely to experience imposter phenomenon. Our awareness of bias towards specific genders and races can lead those within those communities to work harder in order to disprove harmful stereotypes and prejudices. It may often feel like we have to put in more effort than the majority to perform well with extraordinarily little recognition for our efforts. Continued awareness of negative stereotypes within these settings can affect our ability to perform well. While more research needs to be conducted towards identifying if we are internally doubting ourselves or if we are being made to feel like our identity makes us unworthy of our accomplishments. This can lead to a fixation on our mistakes and create doubt about our actual abilities. The impact of microaggressions and discrimination can further reinforce our feelings of not belonging, to combat this it is important to promote inclusivity and actively work towards creating anti-racism within different settings. If you feel like the imposter phenomenon is related to cultural differences, it will be helpful to seek out a therapist who is culturally aware.

The Impact on Mental Health

The impact of the imposter phenomenon on mental health can present itself in many different ways. While imposter phenomena have not been noted as a diagnosable mental illness, it can severely impact symptoms of anxiety and depression. While completing projects or tasks, more time may be spent overpreparing or working significantly harder than our peers to ensure we are not found out to be a fraud. On the other hand, it can feel like we procrastinate and put off completing tasks leading us to feel added pressure while trying to achieve ambitious goals. With imposter phenomena we may find ourselves constantly comparing ourselves to those around us, often feeling like we are not doing enough to keep up. This overwhelming pressure can lead to career burnout. For those already experiencing anxiety and depression, the cycle of imposter phenomenon can create an increase in symptoms. It’s common to experience an increase in feelings of worthlessness, perceived failure, fear, guilt, and shame. The vicious cycle can lead us to believe that the more we achieve in life, the more we feel we have tricked those around us to believe we are successful.

Five Tips to Overcoming Imposter Phenomenon

The impact of the imposter phenomenon can feel crushing at times although there are tools we can implement that limit the feelings of anxiety, increase self-esteem and build confidence. A major step to overcoming the imposter phenomenon is to recognize that you are not alone. In experiencing this phenomenon, it can feel isolating, we may be ashamed to share the experiences we are having although it is not uncommon for most adults to feel this way. Here are five different coping strategies to use while experiencing imposter phenomena.

Celebrating your success. It may feel easy to brush off accomplishments, big or small, which further worsen the feelings of being a fraud. While celebrating our success it is important not to move too quickly into the next project. When someone congratulates you, we often minimize our accomplishments. In celebrating our successes in meaningful ways, it will be important to assess how we respond to these celebrations. When we can recognize patterns of negative self-talk, we can implement self-compassion. This may look like speaking more positively about ourselves and receiving the compliments given by others. Celebrating in ways that are meaningful to us can help internalize the impact of being valuable for who we are, not for our accomplishments.
Taking time to play. Imposter phenomenon may create the pressure to constantly be productive and relaxation may feel impossible. Taking intentional time to play, taking time to laugh or be silly, can help us rediscover what we love to do. Over time we can find that we can still achieve well and find self-worth and value in different healthier ways. When we can show that rest is still productive our values become placed on who we are.
Setting realistic goals and expectations. While taking on new projects it is important to set goals that we can reasonably expect to maintain. To prevent self-sabotage in our success it is important to accept that failure is an inevitable part of the journey. When we acknowledge that setbacks are a normal part of the experience, it creates a space for learning and adapting to difficult challenges. This in turn creates a healthier foundation for our future endeavors.
Limiting how much we are comparing ourselves to others. When we take time to evaluate our achievements it is important to measure them reasonably to our own experiences and skill level. In a world where social media can heavily influence our belief, we can feel like we are not measuring up to the success of others. Having supportive role models can help us find value in ourselves and create a space of belonging to help limit how much we are comparing ourselves to others.

Seeking Support. Struggling to navigate a world where we feel our self-worth is placed in our ability to be productive completing daily tasks can feel impossible. Seeking out support from mental health professionals can be overwhelming, although it can be the first step to putting a voice towards how we feel. While collaborating with a professional they will supply the skills and tools necessary to address anxieties surrounding feeling like we do not belong.