Anyone who has the impostor syndrome lives with the fear of being exposed as an incompetent lucky guy who actually cannot do what he is doing. Our author knows that very well …
It was a good ten years since my Abitur and I still wake up in medium panic every few months, because in my dream someone noticed that I did not write any real Abitur exams. But that's nothing compared to before: If I won a sport competition as a child or got an A for an essay, I usually have my parents responsible for it Made – I was convinced they had bribed the referee or my German teacher and felt terribly bad because of it. And if it wasn't my parents, they had the lucky charms wroughtthat I had with me at every "performance test" …
Impostor syndrome: what is it?
If I had not been a child at the time, but had been an adult, psychologists would probably have diagnosed me with the impostor syndrome or impostor phenomenon: The conviction triggered by self-doubt that you don't deserve your own successes and not even begin to be as competent or talented as it looks. This belief results in those affected by a constant fear, for the smallest mistake or by a "real" pro with a clear view to be exposed and judged to be a fraud – hence Impostor, the English word for impostor, impostor.
Almost all people tend to self-doubt and underestimate themselves (you can find logical reasons why we often underestimate ourselves in our article), but people with impostor syndrome have doubts so pronouncedthat they too see no confirmation in successes, praise or compliments can. For her, other things always made her successful – luck, coincidence, misunderstandings, misjudgments, relationships, sympathies … just not her own achievements and abilities.
Impostor Syndrome: Causes and Consequences
The reasons why some people develop impostor syndrome are, on the one hand, in the psyche of the person affected and include:
- Lack of self-esteem
- Exaggerated idea of performance and competence
- Great fear of failure
- Strong fixation on success
Apart from that, external factors also play a role, for example:
- Performance pressure and orientation in the social environment
- Socially prescribed, standardized criteria according to which people are categorized (school grades, status symbols, income, BMI …)
- Devaluation and exclusion of minorities or conspicuous and special people from society
The impact of impostor syndrome on the life of those affected varies depending on the severity and intensity. Often the phenomenon leads to …
- constant feelings of stress and anxiety
- social withdrawal
- further weakening of self-esteem
- Impairment of performance and self-development
- mental illnesses such as burn-out, eating disorders, depression and the like.
Impostor Syndrome: Who Does It Affect?
Theoretically, anyone who is in one way or another successful person with high standards and great self-doubt can develop Impostor Syndrome. However, it occurs particularly often in the following personality types or people:
Perfectionists
Of course, those who strive for perfection naturally see room for improvement in everything they do and never feel good enough – not even if they are relaxed by human standards.
Natural talents
Others toil just to pass the Abi, you join the study group with your classmates for two hours and then write 14 points in the exam – something can be wrong! It is roughly in this way that people with special talents often develop impostor syndrome: They see that something is coming to them that others have to work hard for, and then they think they do not deserve their success.
Women
According to experts, women are more likely to suffer from impostor syndrome than men. Maybe this has a cultural background: Girls have often been taught in the past to be humble. They were practically trained to tone down praise and compliments and to attribute their successes to reasons other than their own abilities.
Mothers
The imposter phenomenon is mostly related to high performers on the job – but in fact, numerous mothers are affected by it. If the children are happy and well and are on their way, many mothers are extremely proud of their offspring. On the other hand, if something goes wrong and the child has problems, the same mothers immediately look to themselves to blame. They only see what they did wrong or should have done better, but never their share in the child's success / happiness. Classic impostor dilemma.
Stars
Even if we mostly imagine the life of stars and celebrities as glamorous – in the end it's just normal people who doubt themselves as much as we all do. However, celebrities have obviously and by definition above-average success – and are therefore particularly susceptible to the fraud synonym. From Emma Watson for example the following quote comes from:
It feels to me as if someone could find out at any moment that I am a total cheat and don't deserve what I have achieved so far.
And Jodie Foster once said:
I always feel like an impostor. I have no idea what I am doing. Maybe this is the secret of my success.
Impostor Syndrome: Do You Have It?
Aside from statements as straightforward as Jodie Foster and Emma Watson's, there are a few things that people with impostor syndrome have Symptoms on, some of which are perceived as normal or even desirable in a performance-oriented society. This is one of the reasons why it is often difficult to recognize the impostor phenomenon, especially in yourself. If you notice the following signs in yourself, you should definitely pay attention: Then it could be that you have impostor syndrome or at least are at risk.
- Most of the time, you feel like you're not good enough
- You always give 110 percent and often do more than others and than others expect of you (overtime, read all new educational guides, take on voluntary projects …)
- You are only happy about success for a short time
- You see stagnation as a step backwards
- You are afraid of losing everything you have achieved (because someone realizes that you really have nothing on it)
- You often feel overwhelmed (but would never admit it)
- You almost never ask for help from others
- You can't take compliments and positive feedback seriously
- Sometimes you feel like you are wasting your potential / life
- Others seem to overestimate you and perceive you to be much more positive and competent than you are (or as you perceive yourself)
Impostor Syndrome: You Can Do That
If you are familiar with these signs, at least yours is Apparently self-perception disturbed – and you may have impostor syndrome. For some people, this realization and the knowledge that there is such a phenomenon at all helps to question themselves and their own self-doubts more strongly. In order to get rid of the stressful feelings bit by bit and learn to be proud of themselves or to love (or at least accept) themselves independently of performance and success, those affected have to specifically strengthen their self-esteem and their habits with regard to their perception and evaluations change (you can find tips on this in our articles!). With a fully developed impostor syndrome, which may have already led to another mental disorder, those affected should definitely contact professional help search, d. H. Advice from a psychotherapist!