Stop Feeling Like an Imposter How To Succeed at Being Your Authentic Self By Kelly Carson, Editor You walk into a room of hair-care professionals just like you. You're armed with all the latest certificates and up-to-date training. But you are suddenly wracked with fear and wondering whether you belong. Are you good enough? Are you smart enough? Do you have enough experience to run with this crowd? Those types of questions are all part of imposter syndrome. The Harvard Business Review defines imposter syndrome as: "doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud. It disproportionately affects high-achieving people, who find it difficult to accept their accomplishments. Many question whether they're deserving of accolades." WebMD gives a brief history of imposter syndrome that is easy to understand. "In 1978, psychologists Suzanne Imes and Pauline Rose Clance first described imposter syndrome in high-achieving professional women. More recently, experts have found that it's common among both men and women in many lines of work. One study found that about 70% of all people have felt like an imposter at some point. Imposter syndrome often affects those who are highly capable perfectionists. Among those reported to have felt this kind of self-doubt are scientist Albert Einstein, athlete Serena Williams, singer Jennifer Lopez, and actors Natalie Portman, Lupita Nyong’o, and Tom Hanks. "Studies show that those who are different from most of their peers, such as women in high-tech careers or firstgeneration college students, are more likely to have imposter syndrome. Research
has also found that imposter syndrome is common among Black American, Asian American, and Latinx college students in the United States." The American Psychological Association reports that "up to 82% of people face feelings of impostor phenomenon, struggling with the sense they haven’t earned what they’ve achieved and are a fraud. These feelings can contribute to increased anxiety and depression, less risk-taking in careers, and career burnout." “There’s an ongoing fear that’s usually experienced by high-achieving individuals that they’re going to be ‘found out’ or unmasked as being incompetent or unable to replicate past successes,” said Audrey Ervin, a clinical psychologist in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, said in an APA article published online. She is also the academic director of Delaware Valley University’s graduate counseling psychology program. The American Psychological Association offers seven strategies to help overcome impostor feelings, which we have condensed here.
Let go of perfectionism As with all troubling emotions, one of the best ways to manage impostor feelings is to address the cognitive distortions contributing to them. While Jessica Vanderlan, a clinical instructor of psychiatry at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis leads group discussions among medical residents, the tips remain the same
across all fields because impostor feelings often lead to burnout. A common suggestion she shares is to take a step back to look at the bigger picture. What facts support that you deserve to be in your role? While doing this, monitor your internal dialogue. Vanderlan recommends "a simple exercise of asking yourself how you might support a friend who minimizes their accomplishments and then applying the same supportive language to your own narration."
Share your feelings
"If you don’t trust your own “facts,” Vanderlan recommends enlisting other people. Sharing your impostor feelings with others can not only reduce loneliness but also open doors for others to share what they see in you. "Be strategic about whom you share with. Airing impostor struggles with peers can promote comparison and increase the impostor phenomenon, but venting to trusted individuals outside your professional circle can provide a more helpful picture of your accomplishments and value," the APA reported. You can get a lot of help talking with people who are experiencing it as you are, and you can share your insecurities and in turn, gain new coping skills. If your impostor feelings rise to the level where they negatively impact your functioning, then Kevin Cokley, a professor of educational psychology at the University CONTINUED ON PAGE 21 THE LINK MAGAZINE
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