Imposter Syndrome is (unfortunately) common, but we can learn how to manage and overcome these feelings
We’ve talked a few times in the past about imposter syndrome, those feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt, and the fear of being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of success. It’s something I’ve been thinking about lately, so I dug into some recent research and learned a few new things. I thought it was worth looking at again because of its impact on our mental health, career progression, overall well-being, and, of course, productivity.
What is imposter syndrome?
I did some research trying to understand the difference between self-doubt and imposter syndrome. While they are related, I think they are not precisely the same. All of us experience self-doubt at times: questioning our choices, our skill, and our competence.
Imposter syndrome has a self-doubt component, but it goes beyond self-doubt and is a fear or belief that we don’t deserve our success, our awards or accolades. That when we succeed, it’s not because we earned it, but because we were in the right place at the right time, or because other people helped us, or because we were just lucky. One article says, “Those with Imposter Syndrome have one or more of the following thoughts: I’m a fake; My accomplishments are due to luck, not talent; and My accomplishments aren’t really that great.” One journalist, in a New Yorker article, described her experience this way: “more specific than mere self-doubt; it was a fear of being found out, revealed for what I really was.” It’s the feeling that we must wear a mask and hope no one ever sees behind it.
Do those thoughts feel as familiar to you as they do to me?
It’s important to recognize that it is an internal judgment of yourself. Dr. Ginnifer Cie Gee, Associate Vice Provost of the University of Texas, San Antonio, has said it this way: “‘Imposter Syndrome’ is an internal belief (perception) that you are a fraud; it isn’t specifically someone telling you that you are a fraud.”
Dr. Michele Gaspar, a veterinarian and psychotherapist, has identified several personality traits that are linked to imposter syndrome: “Perfectionism, overworking, undermining achievements, fear of failure and discounting praise. To stave off feelings of Imposter Syndrome, it’s common to put off projects that can’t be completed flawlessly, or to work hours beyond the end of scheduled shifts. Other ways of coping include not learning new skills (for fear of not performing at an expert level) or deflecting praise with self-deprecation.”
The good news is that because it is, so to speak, in our minds, that means we can manage it by managing our minds. A belief is just a thought we keep on thinking–but we don’t have to believe everything we think. We are not at the mercy of our thoughts–we can choose what and how to think.
That being said, it’s important to recognize that there is more to all this than merely thoughts in our minds. There is plenty of evidence that societal factors have contributed heavily to the ubiquity of women’s feelings of inadequacy and not belonging in the workplace and elsewhere. I’ll talk a bit about that later.
The Prevalence of Imposter Syndrome Among Women
Statistics and research findings indicate that imposter syndrome disproportionately affects women, especially in male-dominated fields.
- The concept of imposter syndrome, originally labeled the “imposter phenomenon,” was developed by psychologists in 1978 based on their research “focused on high-achieving women who believed themselves less intelligent and fooling others into thinking otherwise, regardless of their academic and professional accomplishments.” (from Imposter Syndrome Predominantly Affects Women — Here’s How We Can Overcome It) Subsequent studies have confirmed the findings that although both women and men experience imposter syndrome, it’s much more prevalent in women, including high-achieving women who most of us would view as confident and accomplished.
- One article cites statistics that one-third of American workers reported that “that the following statement: “I often doubt my professional abilities or achievements” describes them somewhat or very well. This feeling is especially common among young women (age 18 to 29): 43 percent report that this statement describes them well compared to 36 percent of young men.” The same article noted that “More than half (55 percent) of young women report that they have felt that they are not good at their job at least once or twice in the last week. Their male peers struggle with imposter syndrome as well, but not quite as much. Less than half (46 percent) of young men report that same feeling.” Further, the article notes that women with college degrees are more likely to report feeling they’re not good at their jobs than women with less education.
- A study conducted by global professional services firm KPMG found that 75% of executive women report having experienced imposter syndrome.
Societal and cultural factors contribute to imposter syndrome in women
- A recent article in Entrepreneur acknowledges how societal and corporate environments can exacerbate women’s innate self-doubt: “imposter syndrome affects everyone: At some point, an estimated 70% of people feel like imposters. But for women, the burden is heavier to bear. Not only do they suffer the self-imposed doubt of feeling like an imposter, but societal forces and stereotypes can often cause others to second-guess their abilities, compounding and reinforcing those negative self-beliefs.” The article goes on to note that “Often, imposter syndrome is an internal experience of intellectual or professional inadequacy — self-doubt resulting in anxiety and a fear of being found out to be a fraud. For women, the biases and stereotypes in the workplace can foster and exacerbate those feelings of not belonging.”
- These factors can interfere with women’s professional success, as they appear to affect women’s attempts to advance. The Entrepreneur article cites studies that found, for example, that “men apply to jobs when they only meet about 60% of the qualifications, while women tend to apply only if they meet 100” and that while men and women view the same number of job postings on LinkedIn and express similar levels of interest in them, women are 16% less likely to apply.
- Women who experience imposter syndrome “tend to work long hours to try to prove themselves, are afraid to ask questions or ask for help, and may avoid speaking up or asking for challenging jobs. They also have more anxiety, stress, and burnout, and they spend more time trying to focus on a challenging project because their self-talk is so negative that impairs them.” (from Forbes article, 75% of Women Executives Experience Imposter Syndrome in the Workplace)
- Though most of the studies I’ve seen talk about IS in the workplace, it’s important to acknowledge that women can experience it in other areas of life as well, including entrepreneurial endeavors, community and political activities, and even motherhood.
Strategies to Overcome Imposter Syndrome
Self-awareness exercises can help us recognize imposter feelings when they arise and then implement strategies to document and counteract these thoughts. When you notice yourself thinking those “I’m an imposter” thoughts, fact-check them! In an article for Entrepreneur, Cheri Beranek, CEO of Clearfield, has suggested a couple of exercises as useful for combatting feelings of “imposterdom”:
1. “The BRA technique: When feelings of imposterdom strike, I remember the acronym BRA and follow three steps — breathe, relax and allow. First, I breathe, which lets me relax, making it easier to allow the world to go on. The BRA technique helps us to be more present and better equipped to listen and understand the realities of the current situation.
2. A personal review: Next, root out the cause of the imposter syndrome. Ask questions: What am I doing? What are my ambitions? and; What makes me capable of achieving them? Search for the exact source of those feelings of inadequacy and then assess the reality of those feelings.
3. Challenge negative self-talk with evidence: Don’t be afraid of examining weakness. Are there areas for improvement? Then, take action to learn more and reduce and eliminate fear. Does the evidence show you are capable? Then, move on with confidence. Recognize and accept what you don’t know as an opportunity for continual learning to replace self-doubt with self-belief.”
Journaling about these things, and then setting realistic goals for actions you can take to address them, can be an important part of boosting your confidence and changing your mindset.
Building a support network of mentors, allies, and peers to help provide perspective and validation.
Research cited in one article has found that “having a friend in the workplace is associated with lower feelings of imposter syndrome, especially among women. Less than half (43 percent) of women who have a friend or a close friend at their workplace say they have doubted their professional ability at least once in the past week. For women without any friends in the office, nearly six in ten (59 percent) reported feeling this way.” The same is true of women who say they feel supported by their coworkers.
The KPMG survey of executive women mentioned earlier asked which workplace factors were most valuable to help reduce imposter feelings. 47% said having a supportive performance manager and 29% said feeling valued and being rewarded fairly. 72% of them reported looking to the advice of a mentor or trusted advisor when doubting their abilities.
Celebrate achievements:
- Keep a “success file” to remind yourself of your accomplishments and skills (and resist the urge to dismiss them as just luck or “not that big a deal.”
- One professional coach in a Forbes article urges us to “Identify every day at least one little win, to help you stay positive. Use sticky notes or reminders to keep those wins fresh.”
- Speak up about them. Lots of research and personal observation find that women are much less likely than men to “toot their own horn” and make sure others are aware of their accomplishments and successes.
- Give yourself grace. Maybe it helps to know you’re not alone. Be compassionate with yourself, just as you would be with a friend who was struggling with these feelings.
- Seeking professional help: When necessary, consult with a therapist or coach who specializes in career or personal development and who can help you develop the awareness and strategies to address and overcome those feelings of inadequacy and fraud.
- In a fascinating 2023 New Yorker article, one of the authors of the original 1978 paper that named the “imposter syndrome” noted that many of her clients have been healed by group therapy with other women, because since “it’s easier to believe other women aren’t impostors—they can then bring this recognition of others’ delusion back to themselves.”
Acknowledge realities
A 2021 article in the Harvard Business Review warns us not to simply dismiss feelings of uncertainty, self-doubt, and especially those of not belonging as imposter syndrome without examining the reality of the situation. If the workplace is hostile in some way, giving subtle or not-so-subtle signals that you are not competent, that your contributions are not valuable, that you “don’t belong”, then that’s a different thing entirely and may be symptomatic of racist or sexist biases in play. As the article says, rather than changing how women feel in the workplace, sometimes the solution is changing how the workplace treats the women in it.
The New Yorker article I mentioned earlier quotes the authors of that original 1978 paper as saying “that the popularization of their idea as a ‘syndrome’ had distorted it. Every time Imes hears the phrase ‘impostor syndrome,’ she told me, it lodges in her gut. It’s technically incorrect, and conceptually misleading. As Clance explained, the phenomenon is ‘an experience rather than a pathology,’ and their aim was always to normalize this experience rather than to pathologize it.”
There are those–as articulated in the Harvard Business Review article–who see the “diagnosis” of imposter syndrome as a diversion from examining the real problem of the societal structures that contribute to or exacerbate women’s feelings of self-doubt that can, as we discussed, impair women’s success or, at minimum, their ability to enjoy their successes. That being said, as the New Yorker author points out, “Identifying impostor feelings does not necessitate denying the forces that produced them.” Instead of thinking of those feelings as a “syndrome,” with the implication of pathology, she suggests reclaiming the original idea of it as a phenomenon, a description of a “particular texture of interior experience: the fear of being exposed as inadequate.”
Closing thoughts
All the evidence indicates that experiencing imposter syndrome–or the imposter phenomenon–is common, but also that it can be addressed and overcome. In addition to managing our own thinking about our competence and accomplishments, we can continue to engage in dialogue about imposter syndrome and its impact on women in the workplace and in our personal lives and thereby hope to foster a more supportive and inclusive environment.
What do you think?
Have you had any experience with imposter syndrome? What strategies have helped you in addressing the feelings it evokes? Post your thoughts and suggestions in the comments section below or in The Productive Woman Community Facebook group, or email m
Resources and Links
TPW episodes
Other resources
- Expert Strategies for Helping Clients Who Struggle with Impostor Syndrome
- Feeling Like a Fraud? You’re Not Alone – VIN Foundation
- Some Positive Self-Esteem Tips
- Self-Doubt, Lack of Confidence, and Imposter Syndrome
- Overcome Imposter Syndrome – An Invitation – Ocean Programs
- Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome
- Our Mission » Female Strong ®
- Facing Imposter Syndrome – AWBW
- Imposter Syndrome Predominantly Affects Women — Here’s How to Overcome It | Entrepreneur
- 75% Of Women Executives Experience Imposter Syndrome In The Workplace
- KPMG study finds 75% of executive women experience imposter syndrome
- Why Everyone Feels Like They’re Faking It | The New Yorker
- Despite Professional Successes Many Women Still Experience Imposter Syndrome – The Survey Center on American Life
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