The impostor syndrome is a neuropsychological problem that we humans can suffer from and is also known under the terms "impostor phenomenon" or "fraud syndrome".
One of the main symptoms of this psychological disorder is to have a high level of self-demanding, to the point of not being able to recognize what you are worth and your personal achievements. In other words, people who suffer from this disorder tend to be characterized by feeling insufficient in everything they do, which leads to a constant fear that other people will think they are lying.
The impostor syndrome is a feeling of insecurity related to work achievements. You may feel like an imposter because you believe you don't deserve your job. Often, impostor syndrome makes you feel as if you are fooling your coworkers into thinking you are good at what you do and have the perception of yourself as if you are a fraud.
Most cases are women
No one wants to feel like an impostor, much less in the workplace. But the truth is that impostor syndrome does exist. And it seems to be more frequent among women. Thus, the impostor syndrome very often becomes the impostor syndrome.
In fact, according to a study commissioned by Access Commercial Finance in the UK, two-thirds of the women surveyed had experienced it at some point in their lives. If you've ever felt like you didn't belong somewhere or didn't deserve your job, know that you're not the only one who has experienced it.
On the other hand, one of the most remarkable data of the analysis is the incidence that this problem has in the young population, given that up to 86% of people between 18 and 34 years old have gone through it. On the other hand, the percentage is significantly reduced in those individuals between 45 and 54 years of age.
Depression or impostor syndrome?
El síndrome del impostor si lo dejas volar y no lo frenas, este puede acabar con toda tu vida, más que todo con tu salud mental que es elemental para tener una vida plena y exitosa. Pero no te preocupes, más adelante te daremos unas pautas para que aprendas a identificar este síndrome y a tenerlo bajo control.
Puede que quizá tengas dudas sobre si tienes el síndrome del impostor o tal vez simplemente estés experimentando falta de confianza en ti mismo. Los síntomas del síndrome del impostor o síndrome de la impostora pueden ser los siguientes:
Feeling that you only got to where you are today because of a stroke of luck, and not because of your skills or abilities.
Basing your self-esteem on how you perceive your own abilities.
Feeling that you need to be a perfectionist to produce satisfactory work.
Sacrificing your own well-being to get more work done.
Doubting your own abilities and not believing that you got to where you are because of them or your worth.
Feeling lonely, or the need to isolate yourself, so that no one discovers your "secret".
Deterioration of your mental health as a result of overwork and burnout.
Feeling that, at any moment, someone is going to "find out" that you are not as competent as you appear to be, especially when there is no evidence that this is the case.
The impostor syndrome is a cycle!
The impostor cycle describes the circular nature of the impostor's feelings. It begins when he or she is assigned a task. At this point, the individual with impostor syndrome experiences anxiety and self-doubt. These feelings lead to procrastination or perfectionism.
In 1985, Dr. Pauline Rose Clance took her research on impostor syndrome a step further and published the first scale for measuring impostor syndrome, which she called the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIP). The scale measures impostor syndrome in six dimensions:
The impostor cycle
The need to be special or the best
Superman or superwoman characteristics
Fear of failure
Denying one's own abilities or downplaying accolades
Feeling fear and guilt about success
Take the impostor syndrome by the horns!
There are a series of practices or habits that you can begin to carry out to remedy the impostor syndrome. The arrival of the results will be progressive since changing this type of attitude requires a time of commitment, involvement, and perseverance, but I can assure you that they are a good way to enjoy a much more prosperous and positive future.
The main thing is not to focus on the achievements of others and to stop comparing yourself with the rest. Evaluating your productivity in relation to that of others can lead you to feel episodes of insecurity so that feeling of being insufficient can be easily enhanced. The goal is quite the opposite: to magnify your strengths in order to appreciate your own merits.
Having a realistic perspective is a great way to start putting negativity aside. You can make a list of accomplishments and analyze honestly to yourself how involved you were with those projects. You need to adopt this attitude to begin to realize that reality goes far beyond your personal judgments.
Here is a video that will help you find more information on how to improve your self-concept, this is part of a seminar by the great motivational speaker and entrepreneur Brian Tracy.
Find the link here:
Tell us your experience about the impostor syndrome, if you have identified yourself at some point, or if you know someone who suffers from it, leave us your comment below, please!