Thoughtful Thursday: Impostor syndrome
Understanding Impostor syndrome
Imposter syndrome involves feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy that occurs when people are unable to internalize and accept their success. Despite external indicators that validate their success, there is a lingering doubt that they’re not enough.
Most who experience this tend to suffer in silence. It is commonly experienced by professionals, especially in the medical field.
When untreated, it can lead to burnout, depression, and anxiety. It tends to affect our work as well. Ex: if I doubt that I am good at my profession when I actually am, I will find it difficult to act in my role and might underperform instead.
Relationship to PDs
Even after being diagnosed with a disorder, people might experience imposter syndrome. In this context: a fear of being called out for pretending to have something you don’t. This is especially made difficult because disorders tend to be somewhat ambiguous in their criteria. And not everyone with a specific personality disorder will exhibit the same characteristics. It can be invalidating and anxiety-provoking being in that position.
Few things to keep in mind when you’re dealing with Imposter Syndrome
Recognizing various signs of success as evidence.
Recognizing perfection is unrealistic. Everything is a process. To grow, you need expectations but they also need to be reasonable.
Seeking help is a strength, not a weakness.
Questions
Q1. Have you experienced Imposter Syndrome? How does it affect what you do?
Q2. Any other thoughts about the topic?
References
Arleo, E. K., Wagner-Schulman, M., McGinty, G., Salazar, G., & Mayr, N. A. (2021). Tackling impostor syndrome: A multidisciplinary approach. Clinical Imaging, 74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinimag.2020.12.035
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@sereneButton43
(Thank you for making this post!)
Q1. Have you experienced Imposter Syndrome? How does it affect what you do?
I want to say that I *might* experience Imposter Syndrome, usually at work. A question though, is Imposter Syndrome the same as faking an emotion like happiness for a customer? Or putting on a mask metaphorically to make others happy? (In retail or maybe even sometimes with family members that are toxic?)
Q2. Any other thoughts about the topic?
It's interesting to me that we get stuck wearing many different masks in different situations.
@GreenScarab imposter syndrome deals with the feeling of being not enough and pretending that we are. So the person tends to have a fear that others will figure out that they're pretending or are an "imposter". Pretending to show an emotion we're not actually feeling is close but does not fall under imposter syndrome far as I know. But that's an interesting perspective, putting on a mask is something we often have to do. 😊
@sereneButton43
thank you so much for explaining!! Appreciate you! 😄