Have you ever thought:
“Why did they hire me? I don’t know what I’m doing and no-one has realised yet”
“They’re going to realise that they’ve made a mistake with me soon”
“I don’t belong here, I’m not good enough”
These are all common thoughts that people who experience imposter syndrome have. If they sound familiar, there’s a chance that you’ve experienced feelings of imposter syndrome yourself.
Imposter syndrome is described as “feeling as though our success is due to factors that we can’t control, and as a result expecting to be found out”, or in other words, feeling like a fraud or imposter.
It’s something that high achieving individuals experience, where they doubt their own abilities, skills or accomplishments. It doesn’t discriminate. It can affect anyone, regardless of profession or skill level.
Some of the common characteristics include:
Any successes are written off as good luck or being well timed, something anyone could have done and that it wasn’t earnt on personal merit. They are constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop and for everyone else to realise what they know.
As a result of this, the person works harder and longer. They genuinely believe that they don’t deserve the praise that they get or that they got their role as a result of pity or sympathy.
They may think that they need to do more to make up for what they believe is a lack of knowledge or intelligence. And they’ll likely experience a crippling feeling of guilt as a result of having “tricked” people into believing they know what they’re doing.
Additionally if anything does go wrong, regardless of who is responsible for it, they’ll believe it’s their fault. And these errors reinforce their belief that they’re not good enough, that they’re not clever enough, not intelligent enough. That they are an imposter.
Dr Valerie Young describes five main types of imposters in her 2011 book The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It. Despite the title being marketed at women, imposter syndrome doesn’t discriminate, both men and women are affected equally.
Imposter syndrome affects people in different ways, however from research done Dr Young found that 5 main types of imposter syndrome emerged:
These types of imposter syndrome are what Dr Young describes as competence types.
A perfectionist gives themselves impossibly high standards, obsessingover the smallest details. They have unrealistic expectations and unachievable standards, demanding perfection from themself and in some cases others in all aspects of their lives. This isn’t a realistic goal so when they can’t achieve this, they criticise themselves for failings, rather than acknowledge the great work they did do. They're known to micromanage everything, finding themselves unwilling or unable to delegate tasks or responsibilities. They may choose not to do something rather than risk what they perceive as failure. This is often due to a paralysing fear of failure or making mistakes.
As the expert, this type of person needs to know everything there is to know about the subject before they feel comfortable giving any information on it. They also want to be the go to person for others to come to for information. They put a huge amount of pressure on themselves to know everything, to become the master of everything. This may mean extensive academic study and acquired specialist knowledge, that is unnecessary for their role. This includes updating and increasing their knowledge and training. They will experience doubt about their abilities, despite this expert and extensive knowledge. When they don’t know something they will see themselves as a failure and experience shame. All of this can lead to being overwhelmed and therefore often procrastinating, exacerbating negative feelings.
A natural genius, they expect to be able to master things first time round, as they've usually found it easy to succeed at things. They’ve spent most of their life being able to pick up new skills without trying too hard and believe that they should be able to understand everything straight away. This type of person suffers from poor self-confidence and self-esteem when they experience a setback. They believe that not being able to do something on the first try means they’re a failure, which often leads to feelings of embarrassment and shame. They’re probably naturally competitive and hold themselves to an impossible standard. They feel like a fraud when they have to spend time learning.
A soloist believes the key to their success is their independence. They don't believe that they should need to ask others for help, in any capacity. This includes learning new skills, or even needing coaching. If they can’t do things by themselves, then they’re not worthy of the praise people give them. This type of person often prides themselves on being non-conformant, someone who doesn’t follow the same things everyone else does. They might become defensive if they are attacked by others for their beliefs. They see asking for help as not just a sign of weakness, but of complete failure. It's this fear that leads them to believe they’re letting down both themselves and anyone dependent on them. They also expect others to see the inadequacies they’ve always known are there.
A superhuman can do everything all the other competence types can and more. They put an incredible pressure on themselves to be the best at everything, in order to justify any accomplishments or successes they have. They often are referred to as sensitive to constructive criticism, seeing it as an attack on their abilities. Often referred to as a workaholic, they will work harder and longer than anyone else to be the best. They expend all of their energy in every role they have, but believe this is still not enough. As a result they take on more responsibilities, and if this behaviour doesn’t end they will continue to do so until they are physically or mentally unable to.
As a feeling, imposter syndrome is insidious. It makes you feel like a fraud, and therefore it’s difficult to talk about to others. Even when people do recognise it, there is often a belief that they are the only one who is really a fraud, and that everyone else is agreeing with them to be nice, or out of pity.
Imposter syndrome can have a significant impact on your mental health. Without intervention or recognition this can lead to:
This can manifest both mentally and physically, and in some cases people will experience both.
Some of the potential longer term effects aren’t just limited to your health. Imposter syndrome can have a detrimental effect on all parts of your life, from work, to finances, from health to relationships.
Whilst you may think that imposter syndrome may make someone be the best worker they can be, it can actually do the opposite. As a result of believing that they won’t live up to the expectations of their colleagues, someone with imposter syndrome may put themself under more pressure than they can withstand. This leaves them in a position where they can’t actually deliver the results they promised, leaving them embarrassed, ashamed and disappointed. This underlying fear of disappointing themselves and others, may lead someone with imposter syndrome to hold themselves back and only do what they know they can achieve. They may be described as “a big fish in a little pond”.
The person may also believe that if they get things wrong there will be terrible consequences, despite there being no rationale for this. This can lead to them not seeking out promotions. This can also lead to resentment in some cases where they know they would be better suited for a promotion, however their imposter syndrome tells them that they wouldn’t get the role anyway, so what’s the point of even trying.
As a result of the lack of self-belief a person experiences when they suffer from imposter syndrome can have a significant impact on their finances. It can lead them to stay in a lower paid role, as the idea of trying to move into a higher position is too fearsome.
Lower productivity can be another output of imposter syndrome, as a result of the mental strain of always striving for perfection. The need for perfection can create a sense of just trying to ‘keep your head above water’. This can lead to the person either underperforming consistently in the eyes of their superiors, or even burnout. As a result, people suffering from imposter syndrome may have lower scores at performance reviews and therefore be less viable for bonuses and promotions.
Imposter syndrome can also impact finances at the very start of a person’s career within an organisation. Interviews are a stressful experience for almost everyone, however a person with imposter syndrome will undersell their abilities and undervalue their worth to an organisation.
Imposter syndrome has a detrimental effect on both a person’s mental and physical wellbeing. Someone suffering from imposter syndrome will be more likely to experience higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression.
Stress is not always a bad thing, however in the cases of people suffering with imposter syndrome, it often causes poor physical and mental health. Here are some of the physical and mental symptoms of stress as listed on the NHS website:
Anxiety and depression are two other common conditions with imposter syndrome. These two mental health conditions can have very profound effects on a person’s wellbeing. Like stress, they also have physical manifestations.
When any of these conditions become overwhelming, there is a risk that a person can become seriously unwell. This may be physically for example, stress induced heart-attacks, or mentally, such as a person attempting suicide.
It might seem strange that imposter syndrome can have an impact on a person’s relationships, however it most certainly can. Imposter syndrome can cause a person to believe that the friendship or love they are being offered is only out of pity or because they have tricked the person into thinking they are deserving of such kindness.
The person who has imposter syndrome may choose to be independent so as not to keep experiencing discomfort from the belief that they are disappointing others. As a result of their lower self-esteem, they may choose not to pursue relationships or friendships, in the mistaken belief that they are not a likeable person.
Alternatively, they may become overly attached to a partner or friend. They may be suspicious, believing that there is an ulterior motive behind it. This behaviour often leads to problems between the individuals and therefore acts as a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Here are some strategies that may help prevent imposter syndrome from becoming impactful on your daily life:
Learn the facts
If you’re asking yourself why you got that promotion, look at the facts. Ask yourself how you would talk to a friend who is talking about themself in the same way and apply that to your own inner monologue.Share your feelings
If your facts don’t feel accurate, talk to friends! You’ll find it’s a lot harder to be negative about your accomplishments if you're talking to people you trust.Celebrate your successes
It feels cheesy, but it’s really good for your brain! It doesn’t have to be a massive celebration, but even saving an email telling you that you did a good job gives your brain a boost.You don’t have to be perfect all the time
Learn that in some cases, being ok is good enough. This doesn’t mean that you have to drop your standards completely, rather that you adjust to reduce the risk of outright failure. It also means reframing failures as opportunities to learn and grow.Exercise self-compassion
Imposter syndrome feeds on fear. It thrives on your doubt and anxieties. If you heard that someone else was experiencing the feeling of fear and dread everyday, you’d have compassion, however this is absent when it’s about ourselves. Take time each day to remind yourself that your accomplishments are not tied to your value as a person.Share your failures constructively
Failure can be an opportunity to learn but only when you take the time to understand why it has happened. Being open with failure can help you and others to be more realistic about what you’re struggling with.Accept it
With any form of success comes doubt. Part of the ability to ‘overcome it’ is to learn how to live with it. This means taking every experience and learning something from it. Not every experience will be good, and what works for others may not work for you. Learn what works for you, and keep adjusting.Samaritans - on 116 123 or jo@samaritans.org. If you send an email it can take up to 24 hours to get a reply.
Charities and professional services - The NHS can help you get support from a mental health charity. You can also find help on the Sanctus mental health directory.
Therapy and counselling - The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy has a therapist directory that you can use to find specialised local help
Mind - the mental health charity, has a page about talking therapy and counselling, as well as the option to ask for help immediately.
If you’re in crisis, please call 999 or go to your nearest hospital.