Impostor syndrome

What is imposter syndrome?

Impostor syndrome describes the constant fear that one’s own successes are merely down to luck or timing, rather than one’s own achievements. Those affected feel that they are not as capable as others perceive them to be, and fear that their ‘deception’ will be exposed.

They play down their successes, for example by dismissing their achievements as ‘easy’ and refusing to accept compliments. This constant self-doubt can lead to serious mental health problems. (Bell et al., 2021, p.421)

The term ‘impostor syndrome’ was coined in 1978 by the psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes: they used it to describe the feelings of being an impostor reported by high-achieving women in their practice. (Dozier, 2021, p.167)

Who is typically affected?

All groups of people can be affected by imposter syndrome, although women are at particularly high risk.

The reasons for this lie, amongst other things, in their socialisation:

Women are quickly labelled as aggressive if they do not phrase their ideas as questions.
They are penalised if they exercise their authority in meetings.
Compared to men, they tend to set their salary expectations and career ambitions lower.

These factors contribute to women doubting their abilities and exacerbate their imposter syndrome.

Under-represented minorities also face an increased risk of imposter syndrome (Bell et al., 2021, p. 421). One thing they have in common with women is that they usually have few successful role models (Dozier, 2021, p. 168). Furthermore, high-achieving individuals who link their self-worth to their success (Bell et al., 2021, p. 421) and people with a higher level of education are more frequently affected by imposter syndrome. Other causes of imposter syndrome can be traced back to childhood:
this may be the case, for example, if there was another family member who was regarded as the ‘intelligent’ child and those affected try, as adults, to prove that they too are capable. (Klinkhammer & Saul-Soprun, 2009, pp. 167–168, 171)

Impostor syndrome among women in academia

At universities, many high-achieving women suffer from imposter syndrome.
There are several reasons for this:

Firstly, universities have a long-standing system of assessment and examination.
Assessment is often not only performance-based but also personalised.
Women are frequently not prepared for leadership roles,
which is why, as they progress in their careers, their fear of being ‘exposed’ often increases.
Furthermore, women find themselves in a so-called double bind:
    on the one hand, they must fulfil traditional gender roles,
    whilst on the other hand they must also succeed in the academic context.
    Balancing these two goals is difficult and can intensify the fear of holding positions of power.
Added to this is the fact that some women wonder whether they obtained their job on the basis of their performance or merely because of policies to promote women in higher education (Klinkhammer & Saul-Soprun, 2009, pp. 172, 176).

Possible solutions

The first step is to recognise imposter syndrome in yourself.
One way to do this is, for example, by taking Klinkhammer’s ‘impostor test’ (p. 178).

If you would like to discuss this further, you can also contact the Psychosocial Counselling Service.

Bibliography

Bell, C. M., Vest, T. A. & White, S. J. (2021). Dealing with doubt: Overcoming impostor syndrome in new practitioners. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 79(6), 421–423. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajhp/zxab425

Dozier, V. (2021). A few kind, but true words: using the research consultation to empower marginalised graduate researchers struggling with impostor syndrome [Conference proceedings]. LOEX, 3–4.

Klinkhammer, M. & Saul-Soprun, G. (2009). ‘Impostor syndrome’ in academia. Organisationsberatung Supervision Coaching, 16(2), 3–4, 8–7, 12, 14, 165–182. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11613-009-0120-1