Handling Impostor Syndrome

By Lauren Rosenthal and Kimberly Richey

We’re back! We needed a little summer hiatus ourselves! This week we are going to be chatting about impostor syndrome.

So what exactly is impostor syndrome?

Impostor syndrome is the persistent belief that one’s success is not truly deserved or has not been legitimately achieved through one’s own effort.??

Who experiences impostor syndrome?

Everyone experiences impostor syndrome to some degree or another. We can all think of a time (or many) where we felt like we were just “making it up as we went along'', even when we also knew we had loads of experience and knowledge about what we were doing. While we all may feel this way sometimes, study after study shows that women, especially BIPOC women, experience it at higher rates when it comes to how impostor syndrome manifests in our professional lives. How many times have you heard (or read) that men will apply for a job even if they only meet a small percentage of the job criteria? So many times, right?! Hello, career-related impostor syndrome!

Types of impostor syndrome?

The definition above may sound too general so let’s dig into the research! Dr. Valerie Young has studied impostor syndrome for over forty years. Through her research she has identified five types of impostor syndrome. They are:

• The Perfectionist’s primary focus is on “how” something is done. This includes how the work is conducted and how it turns out. One minor flaw in an otherwise stellar performance or 99 out of 100 equals failure and thus shame.
• The Expert is the knowledge version of the Perfectionist. Here, the primary concern is on “what” and “how much” you know or can do. Because you expect to know everything, even a minor lack of knowledge denotes failure and shame.
• The Soloist cares mostly about “who” completes the task. To make it on the achievement list, it has to be you and you alone. Because you think you need to do and figure out everything on your own, needing help is a sign of failure that evokes shame.
• The Natural Genius also cares about “how” and “when” accomplishments happen. But for you, competence is measured in terms of ease and speed. The fact that you have to struggle to master a subject or skill or that you’re not able to bang out your masterpiece on the first try equals failure which evokes shame.
• The Superwoman/Superman/Super Student measures competence based on “how many” roles they can both juggle and excel in. Falling short in any role — as a parent, partner, on the home-front, host/hostess, friend, volunteer — all evoke shame because they feel they should be able to handle it all — perfectly and easily.

*(List pulled from here.)

Do any of these sound familiar? I bet at least one type does! Want to see which type you are? You can find the assessment Dr. Young uses here in the free chapter from her book The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women.?

Want to take a deeper dive into research around why women and BIPOC women experience impostor syndrome at higher rates than other groups? Check out these articles:

Forbes: Career Change and Impostor Syndrome

CNBC: Why Black and Latinx Women Struggle More with Impostor Syndrome

Tomorrow in Part 2 we will take on how to manage impostor syndrome so it doesn’t keep you from applying for your dream job or promotion!

Dr. Valerie Young LinkedIn Profile: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/valerieyoung/