What is imposter syndrome?

If you have met me, you wouldn’t think for a moment I had ever experienced any self-doubt, any moments where I lacked belief in my ability to hit my goals or achieve something new - but I have. Certainly in the earlier years of my career, as I forged my path in what was quite a male dominated world of information technology, especially in sales and client relationship management. 

I frequently had to push myself to believe I was perfectly capable, perfectly able to deliver what my company and clients expected of me. I developed an excellent line in self-talk, and then I got angry. Not flaming angry, not rant and rave and throw things angry, but quietly, powerfully angry - the sort of anger that really helps you get stuff done.

The reason for my anger was that with so many women I talked to, really extraordinary, brilliant, capable women, there were degrees of self-doubt and lack of self-belief that were actually hindering them in their careers, never mind causing them unwarranted stress on a weekly, if not daily, basis. And yet when I talked to men, there was no sign of any iota of self-doubt, or lack of self-belief. Not one man was ever hindered in his career by not thinking he was good enough. And half the time he genuinely wasn’t! This anger, I think, propelled me to push myself and acknowledge my abilities. In my work, of course, success was measurable - we had targets, monthly and annually. If I could see myself beating my colleagues, I had proof I was good enough - the best even.

WIth regard to my earlier self-doubts, I did some research, and found out that this lack of self-worth in women is well-documented, and even has a name: imposter syndrome. 

What is imposter syndrome?

Imposter syndrome is defined as “a behavioral health phenomenon described as self-doubt of intellect, skills, or accomplishments among high-achieving individuals.” 1

The men who wrote the paper quoted above go on to say: “These individuals cannot internalize their success and subsequently experience pervasive feelings of self-doubt, anxiety, depression, and/or apprehension of being exposed as a fraud in their work, despite verifiable and objective evidence of their successfulness.”

Sound familiar? Imposter syndrome was first identified and named in 1978. 1978!! And at that time was identified as an issue largely among women and marginalised groups .

Between 1978 and 2023, when the study I reference was done, nothing happened. There’s been more research, and more definitions, but nobody has done a study to find out how prevalent it is, not in the USA, not in the UK. I would be fascinated to learn how many women can tick the boxes that identify them as suffering with imposter syndrome. I would be willing to bet it’s huge.

What are the classic characteristics of imposter syndrome?

Imposter Cycle: this happens when an individual with imposter syndrome is faced with a new challenge, an achievement related task such as making a presentation, writing a paper, pitching to a new client, applying for a new job - both internally and externally. How many women haven’t applied for a promotion or a new role because of imposter syndrome?! Too flipping many, I’d estimate.

The imposter cycle tends to result in either over-preparation and procrastination. Both cause stress, both are a waste of our time and both lead nowhere fast, but we do it anyway. Why - because subconsciously if we over-prepare, we’re simply proving we were right, we’re not up to it. If we procrastinate and do it all last-minute - same.

And when it then goes well - do we learn and accept we’re not frauds? No, not often.

Perfectionism: how often do you focus on a mistake, however minor, and see it as proof you;re not good enough? Women with imposter syndrome can set unattainable standards against which we measure ourselves, using any mistakes as proof of our lack of ability.

Fear of Failure: this links back to the first point, about the imposter cycle. If we’re sure we;re going to fail, we won’t make the attempt. We won’t apply for the job, we won’t ask for the payrise, we won’t ever put ourselves in the position of looking foolish. 

Denial of competence and capability: this one really annoys me, mainly because it often leads to someone less competent and capable getting the opportunity that was more deservedly ours. 

In short, women with imposter syndrome tend to discount their intelligence, experience, skills, and natural talents. Something most men never do.

Fear of Success: is this a thing? Yes, for those with full-blown imposter syndrome fear of success is very real. Because those with imposter syndrome spend their time avoiding failure, there is a very real fear that success might lead to higher expectations or an increased workload - both of which they can fail at.

How does imposter syndrome start?

It’s not clear how or why some women (and admittedly some men) suffer from imposter syndrome, nobody has done any significant study on the causes and come up with an answer to that. It’s very interesting to me that it’s mainly suffered with by women and minority groups, and by intelligent, high-achieving (or potentially high achieving) individuals in professional positions.

How is imposter syndrome cured?

This depends to some extent on the severity of the problem, and what else it might be doing in terms of your mental health, from anxiety to depression to burnout, even.

Treatment might be as simple as writing a gratitude journal, and focussing on all your successes, appreciating yourself and your skills and ability, and yes, finding the anger and channelling it in a useful way, as I did.

You might benefit from CBT, or hypnotherapy, or BrainWorking Recursive Therapy, or psychotherapy… There are many options, but at the heart of this sits you - your improved mental health and wellbeing, and being the kickass, successful, happy in the workplace woman you are capable of being.

Do some research, have some conversations and find someone who can help you learn to thrive, not survive, in your career.

Love, Penny

1: Imposter Phenomenon: Martin R. Huecker; Jacob Shreffler; Patrick T. McKeny; David Davis. Pub. 2023