Stopping Imposter Syndrome

Hey there!

Welcome back to the MoodiNews. Every Thursday, we discuss all things mental health and self-improvement.

I’m so glad you’re here.

Today’s topic is… IMPOSTER SYNDROME!! Yay!
For context: Imposter syndrome (also called imposter phenomenon) is defined by the American Psychological Association Dictionary of Psychology as, “the situation in which highly accomplished, successful individuals paradoxically believe they are frauds who ultimately will fail and be unmasked as incompetent.”

Imposter syndrome was first introduced as a concept in 1978 by researchers Clamce and Imes, who were studying female college students with stellar grades and test scores who were oddly attributing their considerable achievements to chance and error rather than merit. The term imposter syndrome has since grown to encompass any situation in which an objectively successful person feels fraudulent or undeserving of their achievement(s).

So, how do seemingly competent and intelligent people, especially high achievers, end up feeling so fraudulent and inadequate?

Usually, the reason is shame. Shame is defined by emotion researcher Brené Brown, as “the intensely painful feeling…that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging.” In other words, shame is the fear of disconnection.

Think about it this way. People with imposter syndrome often feel like they do not belong. They tell themselves, “If people really knew me (and how incompetent I actually am), then I would be stripped of all my credibility/promotion/awards.” They think to themselves, “I don’t really deserve to be here.”

In some respects, imposter syndrome is a good thing (Yikes! I know…). The truth is, anytime that we perceive that we are stepping outside of our zone of competence, shame taps us on the shoulder and says, “Don’t get too far out of line here—standing out and exposing your flaws in this situation could be bad for you.”

And that’s very helpful—especially in a high-stakes environment, where we want to avoid failing or throwing away a big opportunity. Therefore, shame is adaptive—subconsciously, we are all are programmed to notice when we stand out and need to prove ourselves. Connection is paramount to our well-being, so shame arises when newfound success suddenly catapults us into social territory that makes us feel uniquely vulnerable and exposed.

As a result, imposter syndrome is a perfectly healthy phenomenon. It only becomes a problem when it causes us to retract in response to success. In other words, too much shame can become a hindrance when it prevents us from engaging in life in order to avoid rejection.

So, what’s the fix here?

Glad you asked! Ultimately, there are two ways deal with imposter syndrome.

One is to better yourself, and rise to the occasion. If you are, in fact, ‘green,’ and you realize that you have not yet fully earned the praise or permissions that you are receiving, then the answer is to work hard and prove yourself so that you can actually be deserving of the successes coming your way. Perhaps, put more bluntly—if you are an imposter, then don’t stay that way for long.

The second way to overcome imposter syndrome is to become more shame-resilient. In therapy, people learn to do this through self-compassion training. Self-compassion training teaches people how to soften into their shame, so that they can feel more comfortable being vulnerable—and therefore become more adaptable in emotionally daunting situations.

In closing: Imposter syndrome can be good. It is a perfectly natural response to intimidating or overwhelming social reward. However, feeling too much shame can be detrimental if it causes us to trivialize our own self-worth or achievements. In order to overcome the annoying grip of imposter syndrome, first work hard so that you have less to worry about. (If you’re not an actual imposter, then you probably won’t feel like a fraud.) Then, turn to the skill of self-compassion to manage the rest.