Let’s Talk About Imposter Syndrome
by Tiana Johnson-Kidd
Everyone has faced it. That feeling of “I don’t belong here.” It’s a feeling that was very prevalent during my freshman year. As I sat in chemistry with 500 other students who looked like they knew what the professor had been rambling about for the past hour, I felt that I wasn’t cut out for Berkeley. I began to question if my admission was a fluke and that maybe I wasn’t smart enough to complete the academic rigor present at Berkeley.
I later learned what I was feeling was a psychological phenomenon known as imposter syndrome. It is defined as a psychological feeling where a person doubts their own skills, talents, accomplishments, and qualifications. Despite outwardly evidence of their competence, the individual remains convinced they are a “fraud” and that their accomplishments are not deserved. Often individuals account their success to luck while others may interpret it as a result of “tricking” others into thinking that they are more intelligent than they perceive themselves to be.
The term Imposter Syndrome was coined in 1978 by Dr. Pauline R. Clance and Dr. Suzanne A. Imes in their publication “The Impostor Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention”. They investigated the prevalence by interviewing a sample of 150 high-achieving women. Here’s what they found:
- All of the participants had been formally recognized for their professional excellence by colleagues, and displayed academic achievement through degrees earned and standardized testing scores(1).
- Despite the consistent evidence of external validation, these women lacked the internal acknowledgement of their accomplishments(1).
- The participants explained how their success was a result of luck, and others simply overestimating their intelligence and abilities(1).
Finally this feeling was pinned down to a definition and acknowledged as a common experience. Research findings initially suggested that impostor syndrome/phenomenon affected women who are members of an ethnic minority mentally and academically. Ethnic minority women are especially afflicted with impostor syndrome in elite universities because of the intersection of their race and gender.1 Both identities heavily impact their academic and professional experience.
- For example, a black woman in higher education might fear she will be stereotyped as aggressive or angry if she expresses a controversial opinion in class(1).
- Another example: explicit racist policies that exclude Asian American women suggest that they do not experience academic barriers. Therefore, these women may not feel as though they are allowed to ask for help(1).
So what does Imposter Syndrome look like in the classroom? Research shows distinct behaviors of students suffering imposter syndrome(1).
- Students often compare themselves to their classmates
- Students do not feel prepared academically when they compare themselves to their classmates.
- Students often question the grounds on which they were accepted into their program.
- Students perceived that positive recognition, awards, and good grades stemmed from external factors, not from personal ability or intelligence.
Research has also shown there is a strong correlation between impostor phenomenon and the following factors(1):
- Family expectations
- Overprotective parent(s) or legal guardian(s)
- Graduate-level coursework
- Racial identities
- Attribution style
- Anxiety & Depression
- Low trait self-esteem
- Perfectionism
- Excessive self-monitoring, with an emphasis on self-worth
Imposter syndrome isn’t just limited to students and academic professionals. Michelle Obama acknowledges the feeling here:
“I still have a little impostor syndrome… It doesn’t go away, that feeling that you shouldn’t take me that seriously. What do I know? I share that with you because we all have doubts in our abilities, about our power and what that power is.”
So once you realize that maybe these thoughts in your head are signs of imposter syndrome, how do you overcome them? There is no easy answer to solve these intrusive thoughts, but suggestions have proposed to start acknowledging these thoughts and reinforcing them with positive optimistic ones.
In their 1978 paper, Clance and Imes proposed a therapeutic approach to overcoming impostor phenomenon. This study formed a group where various individuals meet others who are also living with this experience. “It can also be helpful to share what you’re feeling with trusted friends or mentors. People who have more experience can reassure you that what you’re feeling is normal, and knowing others have been in your position can make it seem less scary.” says psychologist Audrey Ervin(2).
From there it is important to overlay these negative thoughts with more positive ones. In the group sessions, Dr. Clance and Dr. Imes had the participants re-frame common thoughts and ideas about performance. An example would be to change: “I might fail this exam” to “I will do well on this exam”. The researchers concluded that simply extracting the self-doubt before an event occurs helps eliminate feelings of impostorism. 1 One of the first steps to overcoming impostor feelings is to acknowledge the thoughts and put them in perspective. “Simply observing that thought as opposed to engaging it” can be helpful, says Ervin. “Learning to value constructive criticism, understanding that you’re actually slowing your team down when you don’t ask for help, or remembering that the more you practice a skill, the better you will get at it can all help.” Most people experience moments of doubt, and that’s normal. The important part is not to let that doubt control your actions, says Impostor syndrome expert Valerie Young. “The goal is not to never feel like an impostor(2).” Once I realized that I am not the only one who sometimes feels this way, it made it a lot less difficult. As I’ve gone through my years at Berkeley, I’ve realized this is a very common and often detrimental feeling. Once I was able to recognize it, these feelings started to go away and my confidence in who I was and why I am at Berkeley grew. I wish I knew as a freshman what imposter syndrome was so I could start eliminating these insecurities earlier. Mental health is not promoted enough at Berkeley and being open and honest about struggles many students face could help everyone as we navigate through our academic careers.
