“I’m not a writer. When John Steinbeck was writing The Grapes of Wrath, his epic novel from 1939 about a family escaping the Oklahoma Dust Bowl during the Depression in search of a better future in California, he wrote in his private journal, ‘I’ve been fooling myself and other people.’ You might assume that he was just having a brief period of self-doubt, but based on my experience as a writer and scholar, I see a hint of something more sinister that affects many highly intelligent and erudite people: impostor syndrome. The more accolades they get, the more these high achievers worry that they’re outdoing everyone.
To feel like an impostor, you don’t even need to be brilliant. Anyone can be made to feel like a failure and a fake in today’s world, where people are diligently building an image on social media that emphasizes the positive and hides the negative. I have some good news if this is something you’re also worried about: You’re probably not a phony if you’re worried about it; the real phony is certain they’re not. Nevertheless, having impostor syndrome is undoubtedly detrimental to your happiness. However, there is something you can do about that.
Two psychologists initially described the condition in the journal Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, and Practice in 1978. They described it as a common affliction in which people with actual skills and knowledge secretly feel inadequate or incompetent. The study’s authors discovered evidence that many accomplished women experienced “an internal experience of intellectual phoniness,” or insecurity about their skills. Subsequent studies discovered that this phenomenon did not only affect women or any specific demographic group; anyone could experience what they called the “impostor phenomenon” (syndrome was a later refinement). (As an example, older adults experience it less than younger adults.)
Several impostor syndrome tests have been validated. The first is the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale, which asks respondents if they agree with statements like “I’m afraid people important to me may find out that I’m not as capable as they think I am.” (You can use a condensed online survey to see how you rank on the scale.) Through testing, researchers discover that some personalities are more likely than others to suffer from the syndrome. Those with low conscientiousness and high neuroticism are more affected than others. It should come as no surprise that introverts are more likely than extroverts (who have a tendency toward narcissism) to feel fake. Because they are so preoccupied with their own perceived mistakes, perfectionists usually feel like fakes.
People who work in highly technical fields that depend on other people’s trust are more likely to experience impostor syndrome. Young doctors have a high incidence, according to several studies: According to a survey conducted in 2021, over 75% of surgical residents said they felt like they were impersonating someone. I believe this happens because doctors believe they need to project a level of confidence that they don’t really feel, which is a form of phoniness, albeit a necessary one for their jobs. As you are wheeled into the operating room, you hardly want your surgeon to say, “Well, let’s see how this goes, then.” Additionally, if you are a parent, recall how your child looked at you with total trust when they were younger. I used to think, If only they knew.
According to some academics, impostor syndrome may, in theory, result in improved task performance since it gives people an emotional incentive to perform well. According to the theory, you will be motivated to improve if you tell yourself that you are just a poser. However, just as such defamation would be harmful if directed at a child, self-harming abuse can have significant psychological costs and may even cause anxiety and depression. Negative feedback like this can also cause cognitive distortion, which makes people overgeneralize failure and ignore genuine compliments. This is linked to decreased job satisfaction and burnout and makes learning useful more difficult.
Your wellbeing is most likely at risk if you suffer from impostor syndrome. Thankfully, there are a number of simple methods for treating the illness.
Avoid speaking negatively to yourself.
You should refrain from calling yourself an incompetent idiot, just as you wouldn’t or shouldn’t call your spouse or child that. In this essential therapeutic context, kinder self-talk is just acknowledging reality: You are not an incompetent idiot; you are just a person hoping to learn and improve. This may sound like the kind of indulgent self-focus that characterizes narcissism, which would in fact hazard phoniness.Monitor your development.
When faced with a difficult task, whether you are a parent, a surgeon, or both, try to frame it as a chance for learning and development. Instead of dwelling on what you haven’t accomplished yet, keep a journal of your own progress to establish an impartial record of your progress toward your objectives. For instance, instead of worrying about what you still don’t know or can’t do, consider the new abilities and knowledge you’ve gained every day if you’ve just started a new job. Record these achievements in a journal and go over it frequently.Find some companionship.
It can be very beneficial to create or join a community of people in similar professional situations. This gives you a peer group with whom you can openly discuss any fears and find that these uncertainties are fairly typical. Impostor syndrome was a very common example of the experiences that held professional women back, and this proved to be a benefit of the Lean In movement, which was founded by former Meta executive Sheryl Sandberg. Based on a similar concept, the Forum program for young chief executives offered by the business group YPO is incredibly beneficial to its members as a way to release feelings of insecurity and loneliness.
Arthur C. Brooks: The fortitude that comes from avoiding offense
People who feel like imposters but aren’t have been thoroughly examined. Despite the brief suffering he shared in his journal, Steinbeck was obviously no fake: The Grapes of Wrath won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1940 and played a significant role in his eventual Nobel Prize win. However, we should look at a phenomenon that is closely linked to the syndrome: people who, in an attempt to appear modest, falsely claim to be imposters even though they don’t believe they are. The people who say things like, “I’m the last person to deserve the personal invitation I just got from the president to visit the White House!” are the ones I’m referring to.
Of course, nothing is more fake than this façade of modesty. The humblebrag’s ruse is obvious and instantly makes the person who uses it obnoxious and unlikable—a bit like, well, a phony.
