Are you a victim of impostorism?

If you tend to downplay your achievements or are plagued by irrational self-doubts, read on to
dispel your fears.
Do you feel like a fake? Do you feel that you dont quite belong? Despite winning accolades and laurels, do you
feel that your success is undeserved? That you just got lucky, and, sooner or later, you will be found out? If you
feel that your stellar accomplishments are not reflective of your true self, then you may be inhabiting the
discomfiting space of an impostor. Coined by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Immes, the term
impostor phenomenon refers to high-achievers who dismiss their successes as flukes and are beset with a
nagging fear that they are frauds. While it is not classified as a psychological disorder, the experience can create
considerable angst and doubt in an individual.
In their pioneering study, Clance and Immes encountered high-achieving women who despite shining
scholastically were plagued by self-doubt regarding their intellectual abilities. In addition to not having an
internal sense of success, the women believe that they have fooled people into thinking they are smart. By
attributing their achievements to luck or mistakes, they dismiss external indicators of their intellectual potential.
While the original study found that the phenomenon was limited to women, subsequent research has revealed
that men, too, can fall prey to impostorism. A research review by Jaruwan Sakulku and James Alexander
indicated that this feeling is far more prevalent than we think. Besides affecting both genders, Impostorism has
been found among people in different occupations, from college students to academics to marketing managers to
physician assistants. Further, the feeling is not unique to elite-achievers. According to Sakulku and Alexander, it
can be felt by anyone if they fail to internalise their success.
Given that most people who experience it keep quiet about their persistent worries, we often dont know who
among us is plagued by self-doubt, and are often taken aback when successful people reveal their vulnerabilities.
In an online article in BBC News Magazine, journalist Oliver Burkeman quotes acclaimed novelist Maya
Angelou, I have written 11 books, but each time I think Uh-oh, theyre going to find out now. In the same
article, Burkeman also makes the valid point that this phenomenon is probably exacerbated by social media
where people feel pressured to project only positive images of themselves online. Thus, when we see ever-smiling
pictures of others online, we mistakenly conclude that only we experience the darker sides of life. As a result, our
sense of alienation and incompetence only gets more acute.
An article published online by the Caltech Counseling Centre identifies three aspects to the impostor syndrome.
The first involves feeling like a fraud or a fake. The person usually harbours thoughts such as, People think that
I am smarter than I really am. Moreover, the person feels that someday he or she will be found out for who he
or she really is. The other aspect involves attributing your successes to chance factors as opposed to internal
traits. People who experience Impostorism also tend to downplay their achievements.
Overcoming negativity
In her book Presence, Harvard Business School (HBS) Professor Amy Cuddy, who has first-hand experience of
impostor fears, says that around 60 per cent of HBS students experience it. To most outsiders, MBA students
exemplify confidence, grit and success. Yet, as Cuddy writes, the cruel irony is that achievements dont stamp
out impostor fears, but can actually exacerbate them.
While many people may experience Impostor syndrome to varying degrees at various points in their lives, the
crucial point is that we need not succumb to our feelings of inadequacy. In an article inHarvard Business
Review, executive coach and writer Gill Corkindale provides strategies for mitigating the pernicious effects of
self-doubt. Foremost, we need to enhance our self-awareness and recognise these thoughts and feelings when
they creep up inside us. Next, we need to talk back to these negative thoughts. Statements such as, It is okay if I
dont know everything, or Everyone makes mistakes at times, can keep the dark forces from blackening our
minds. Sharing our feelings with others who are supportive may help us see the irrationality underlining our

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thoughts. In addition, as we speak up, others may open up about their insecurities as well, which, in turn, may
make us feel less alone.
When negative thoughts overwhelm us, Corkindale urges us to view them in context and not to generalise. I was
unable to answer the question during the lecture but that doesnt mean that I am always tongue-tied by
challenging questions. We must also have the humility to view our mistakes as opportunities to learn and
correct ourselves. Instead of berating ourselves for making the mistake in the first place, we need to see failure as
just another stepping stone to success. Finally, it might help to mentally imagine being successful at whatever
you dread.
When Cuddy was a doctoral student at Princeton, she was so overwhelmed by Impostorism that she almost quit
her programme for fear of giving a public talk.
However, her advisor would have none of it and candidly told her to keep persisting even if you have to fake it.
While it took Cuddy several more years to get rid of her irrational fears, she finally had her eureka moment when
she did not feel like a fake anymore.

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