The impostor phenomenon is not the same as being an impostor and intending to deceive others. Nor does it refer to people who \u2018fake it until they make it\u2019, which can be an effective\u00a0 way of growing self-confidence.\u00a0 Nor does it refer to those natural moments of self-doubt that we all experience from time to time, especially when trying out something new. Those who experience the Impostor Phenomenon really are successful, they really are good at what they do and there really is objective, external evidence to prove it (though they don\u2019t like to look at it!). The issue is that they haven\u2019t internalised their success. Instead, successes are put down to luck, chance, or someone being kind. Or perhaps to hard work and long hours of careful crafting so no mistakes are made. Or to success being nothing special with the assumption \u201cif I can, then anyone can\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Impostor Phenomenon generally affects high achievers, and can occur in many different fields, whether in medicine, clinical practice, nursing or as a parent and even with friends and family. It can be triggered by progressing beyond childhood expectations, or stretching societal boundaries or by being \u201cother\u201d in the room. It impacts men and<\/em> women. Around 70% of people at some point will experience imposter feelings to some degree (Sakulku & Alexander, 2011). And it is in degrees; some people experience it lightly and their imposter chatter causes no significant issues, but moderate to intense imposter feelings can cause high levels of stress and anxiety as well as self-handicapping behaviours such as procrastination and perfectionism (Rohrmann et al, 2016).<\/p>\n Impostor feelings are not constant, they depend on the situation.\u00a0 For instance, I don\u2019t get \u2018impostor\u2019 feelings when gardening or walking my dog, but they do occur when I am in my PhD research role. It is\u00a0 important to note that the phenomenon is not a mental health condition (Kaplan, 2009), although it can trigger some mental health issues for some people.<\/p>\n I was first introduced to the Impostor Phenomenon while studying for a masters degree in applied positive psychology at the University of East London.\u00a0 One of the first, and obvious questions I was asked as a fresher was: \u201cWhat\u2019s your first degree?\u201d. And then the imposter feelings started, big time! You see, I don\u2019t have an undergraduate degree; I did an Higher National Diploma because I was led to believe that I wasn\u2019t \u2018university material\u2019.<\/p>\n When I’m speaking at conferences, whether face to face or online, waves of recognition ripple through the audience or chat room as I introduce the impostor phenomenon. The recent lockdown and impact of working from home has for some people heightened their imposter feelings \u2013 juggling home schooling, keeping the house tidy, cooking, being a good enough spouse\/parent\/sibling\/son\/daughter. While others report their imposter feelings have lessened, perhaps having more autonomy and less pressure to be productive has helped here.<\/p>\n So, how can you tell if you are experiencing this phenomenon? If you find yourself frequently saying aloud, or thinking, most or all of the following, that is an indication you could be experiencing the impostor phenomenon:<\/p>\n So if you recognise imposter chatter in yourself, what can you do<\/a>?\u00a0 There is no quick fix, the imposter chatter lessens over time once you start to recognise it for what it is and begin to allow your successes to be believed on the inside. But you may find the following tips helpful:<\/p>\n First<\/strong> and most importantly, acknowledge it to yourself, and to someone else. It helps to talk about it with someone you trust and find you are not alone.<\/p>\n Secondly<\/strong>, accept that no-one, not even you, will be perfect, no matter how hard you try. Ask yourself if 80% would be good enough. The chances are that what you consider to be 80% good enough will be close to someone else’s 100%.<\/p>\n Thirdly<\/strong>, acknowledge the role your skills and abilities have played in your success. Don\u2019t put it all down to luck, timing or hard work.\u00a0 While these will no doubt have played a role, without your skills and abilities no amount of luck, timing or hard work would have enabled you to achieve what you have achieved.<\/p>\n References<\/strong><\/p>\n ANON (2017) Impostor Syndrome definition. Oxford English Dictionary Online. https:\/\/en.oxforddictionaries.com\/definition\/impostor_syndrome.\u00a0 Accessed April 25, 2017.<\/p>\n CLANCE, P. R., & IMES, S. A. (1978). The impostor phenomenon in high achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 15(3), 241\u2013247. http:\/\/www.paulineroseclance.com\/pdf\/ip_high_achieving_women.pdf. Accessed March 3, 2020.<\/p>\n CLANCE, P. R (1985) Impostor Phenomenon Scale. From The Impostor Phenomenon: When Success Makes You Feel Like A Fake (pp. 20-22). Toronto: Bantam Books. http:\/\/www.paulineroseclance.com\/pdf\/IPTestandscoring.pdf. Accessed March 3, 2020.<\/p>\n KAPLAN, K. (2009) Unmasking the impostor. Nature 459, 468-469. https:\/\/www.nature.com\/naturejobs\/science\/articles\/10.1038\/nj7245-468a. Accessed March 3, 2020.<\/p>\n ROHRMANN, S., EBECHTOLDT, M. & ELEONHARDT, M. (2016). Validation of the Impostor Phenomenon Among Managers. Frontiers in Psychology, 7.<\/p>\n SANDBERG, S. (2013). Lean in: Women, work, and the will to lead (First edition.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf.<\/p>\n SAULKU, J & ALEXANDER, J (2011). The Impostor Phenomenon.\u00a0 International Journal of Behavioral Science 6, no. 1 (2011): 73\u201392.<\/p>\n Further Reading<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n BEN-SHAHAR, T. (2009) .The pursuit of perfect: how to stop chasing perfection and start living a richer, happier life. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.<\/p>\n CLANCE, P.R. (1985). The impostor phenomenon: Overcoming the fear that haunts your success. Peachtree Pub Ltd.<\/p>\n MANN, S. (2019). Why Do I Feel Like an Imposter?: How to Understand and Cope with Imposter Syndrome. London, Watkins.<\/p>\n SAINI, A. (2017). Inferior: How science got women wrong and the new research that’s rewriting the story. Beacon Press.<\/p>\n Kate Atkin<\/strong><\/p>\n Kate Atkin MSc is an expert on the Imposter Phenomenon, and runs workshops to enable people to overcome their imposter fears. She is author of The Confident Manager (SRA Books) and The Presentation Workout (Pearson) and is currently undertaking doctoral research into the impact of the imposter phenomenon In the workplace. For more information her website is\u00a0www.kataetkin.com<\/a> and twitter handle is @kateatkin<\/p>\n Declaration of interests<\/strong><\/p>\n I have read and understood the BMJ Group policy on declaration of interests and declare the following interests: none.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The accolade of being a \u201chero\u201d has sat uncomfortably on some people\u2019s shoulders within NHS staff and other key workers. High accolades such as \u201chero\u201d, \u201camazing\u201d, \u201cawesome\u201d etc while intended to show appreciation, acknowledgement and praise are not always received in that way, and there could be an underlying reason\u2026 Maybe \u2018heroic\u2019 accolades invoke feelings […]<\/p>\n\n
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