1. Do you discount your success, or doubt that it will continue?
2. Do you feel like a fake?
3. Do you think that your success is due to luck and not your own internal abilities?
If you answered yes to any of the above 3 questions, there's a good chance you're suffering from a pyschological disorder known as "The Imposter Phenomenon." (IP)
The Imposter Phenomenon is an experience that negatively affects one's self-concept and self-esteem. A person suffering from the Imposter Phenomenon believes that even though they are successful, they believe that their accomplishments were the result of luck or some external circumstance.
There are three basic signs of the Imposter Phenomenon:
1. The sense of having fooled other people into overestimating their ability
2. The attribution of success to some factor other than intelligence or ability
3. The fear of being exposed as a fraud
The Imposter Phenomenon, also known as "Fraud Syndrome," is not an officially recognized psychological disorder, but has been the subject of numerous books and articles by psychologists and educators. Individuals experiencing this syndrome seem unable to internalize their accomplishments.
Regardless of what level of success they may have achieved in their chosen field of work or study, or what external proof they may have of their competence, they remain convinced internally that they do not deserve the success they have achieved and are really frauds.
Documented proof of success are dismissed as luck, timing, or otherwise having deceived others into thinking they were more intelligent and competent than they believe themselves to be. This syndrome is thought to be particularly common among women, particularly women who are successful in careers typically associated with men, and among academics.
Research into the Imposter Phenomenon first began in 1978 by Dr. Suzanne Imes and Dr. Pauline Rose Clance two psychotherapists who published the seminal article on the Impostor Phenomenon theory (which involves a belief among high achievers that they are fooling people who think they are bright and capable).
External proofs of excellence -- academic degrees, awards, promotions -- were routinely dismissed. Or as researcher Dr. Valerie Young so eloquently put it: "Rather than offering assurance, each new achievement and subsequent challenge only serves to intensify the ever present fear of being...found out."
Not surprisingly, it's often the smartest people who suffer from the disorder most. As children they are told how intelligent and exceptional they are. And then, as they grow up, they invariably encounter tasks that are not so easy, where they don't have all the answers. Suddenly they have to accept the fact, they aren't so special after all, that they may actually be merely average, maybe even dumb...an imposter.
Interestingly enough, real imposters never suffer from these feelings of inadequacy. Nor do less successful or under-achieving individuals who are struggling day to day just to survive.
People who suffer from the Imposter Phenomenon come from all walks of life.
They are doctors and nurses, educators and college students, lawyers and accountants, executives and administrative assistants, engineers and administrators, human service providers and human resource managers, computer programmers and program directors, architects and artists, police officers and principals.
If you or someone you know is suffering from the Imposter Phenomenon, there is help available. Dr. Valerie Young, a lifestyle career counselor has an excellent website on the topic at:
http://www.impostorsyndrome.com
