Imposter Syndrome
According to Tamarin Capellino, the keynote speaker of our symposium, Imposter Syndrome is a collection of feelings where an individual doubts their accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a "fraud". People with this syndrome lack confidence and think they don’t deserve the success they have achieved. Sherman writes that “Certain situations, such as taking on a new role, can lead to imposter syndrome” (Sherman, 2013). Imposter syndrome can cause a paralyzing fear in some people who feel inadequate in their current position or taking on a new role or position.
The Imposter syndrome has some defining characteristics that one will experience if suffering from the syndrome. The first characteristic is “feeling like a fraud” in which the person doesn’t feel deserving of the success they have earned and they fear that they will be exposed (Capellino, 2019, slide 29). The second characteristic is feeling “really lucky” and crediting your success to anything but your own hard work (Capellino, 2019, slide 29). The last characteristic is “discounting success” in which a person will downplay their accomplishments and success (Capellino, 2019, slide 29). When you notice a person displaying these characteristics they are most likely suffering from Imposter syndrome.
The Imposter syndrome can affect anyone at any point in their career. While the Imposter syndrome was first most prevalent among women, it now is prevalent across all genders, ethnicities, classes, and careers (Capellino, 2019). However, women are more likely to experience the feelings related to Imposter syndrome than men (Cusack, Hughes, & Nuhu, 2013). This could be due to the many roles that women hold in their lives and the pressure they feel to perform all those duties perfectly (Cusack, Hughes, & Nuhu, 2013). When someone feels like an imposter, there are many self-handicapping behaviors that they engage in. Some of those behaviors include: the “fake hamstring pull”, avoidance, substance abuse, and procrastination (Capellino, 2019, slide 36).
Personal Story
The first position I held in education was at a private Christian school. The principal offered me a job on the spot teaching math and science, misunderstanding what she said I excitedly blurted out “I’ll take the science position I hate math!” She corrected me-it was a math and science position for 7th and 8th grade students. I humbly took the position, instantly feeling the imposter. Having struggled with math myself, I doubted my ability to teach math for the duration of the first year, feeling as though I were cramming for the final every night before teaching the following day’s lesson. I must have done well though, as the next year I was told to open an honors geometry course for my higher achieving students. Once again, the imposter in me crept up as I had never, in my life, taken a geometry course. So, for the second year of my career, I was mere chapters ahead of the students I was instructing. Not convinced that I did the subject justice, I made ALL of my 8th grade honor students retake the geometry course in their high school the next year.
I taught Math for the next 7 years at the private school before mustering the courage to achieve my multiple subjects’ credential, and then my single subject credential in foundational sciences-my stronger, preferred, subject. I was offered a position after my first interview to teach, yep you guessed it, 7th grade math. This time, however, I was more comfortable teaching the pre-algebra courses with prior experience so I accepted the position. Three months into teaching this course my principal admitted that she’d made a mistake and that I was not credentialed to teach this course. Instead of letting me go, she wrote a letter to all of my students’ families letting them know that I was “Not Highly Qualified” for the job. I was let go with a pink slip by early spring, but rehired the falling fall as the 6th grade science teacher. Where I taught for 3 more years.
During this time, our school underwent an Administration change, hiring my former High school History teacher as our new Principal. Within his first year at our school he tentatively approached me with an offer to return to school with a new district incentive for my Math Authorization degree. All the overwhelming anxiety from my previous experience crept up as I admittedly refused the generous offer of a 75% tuition stipend. It wasn’t until I found myself tutoring my colleagues, presently enrolled in the program, that I mustered enough courage to participate in the program. I thrived in the program and found that I actually liked teaching math with this new training. The following year, our principal moved me into the middle school program as the one and only 7th and 8th grade math teacher on campus where I have now taught for the past 5 years.
The imposter syndrome is a syndrome I identify with on a daily basis as I openly admitted to peers at a recent staff meeting, and the irony of my friend’s jabs every time they remind me how I cheated off their math homework in high school. Ultimately though, I feel that this experience of failure to success has made me a better teacher and taught me to be a more confident person in the end.
Impact on Leadership and Relationships
Imposter syndrome impacts a leader’s ability to build relationships. When you feel like you are an imposter, you tend to keep people at arm’s length for fear that someone might figure out what an imposter you are. This mentality prevents any true relationship building that might occur. Unfortunately, relationship building is critical to being an effective leader. According to Dr. Capellino (2019), “authentic leaders are aware of their strengths, their limitations, and their emotions. They also show their imperfect selves to their followers” (slide 58). An effective leader has to show who they really are and be vulnerable in order to build trust (Capellino, 2019). Someone who is suffering from the Imposter syndrome does not feel comfortable showing any sort of vulnerability because then, their followers might figure out the imposter they really are. When a leader is unwilling to be vulnerable with their followers, the followers do not feel like they can trust their leader and therefore, are less willing to follow. When someone is suffering from Imposter syndrome, being an effective leader is incredibly difficult.
Strategies to Overcome Imposter Syndrome
There are many ways to overcome Imposter Syndrome that involve improving your confidence and competence, including discussing your feelings with a mentor, making a list of your strengths, or accept that perfection is not realistic. Discussing your feelings with a mentor may not be uncomfortable at first, but if you select a mentor that you trust with confidentiality and respect as a leader, you will find that they can provide guidance in the areas you are lacking. If a person is dealing with a lack of confidence or competence, it may stem from a feeling of inadequacy or self pity. By making a list of your strengths, you are realizing that you have amazing qualities to offer the world and can build your confidence psychologically. If you focus on the positives that you possess, the negative aspects will no longer hold any value. Finally, a person dealing with imposter syndrome may realize that perfection does not exist. After coming to that realization, a person may tend to feel more confident and competent in their abilities that they once felt were inadequate. If a person holds themselves to incredibly high standards, those standards may never be reached and thus the feeling of inadequacy takes over. Building one’s confidence
Clance Scores
It is estimated that 70% of the United States population suffers from the imposter phenomenon. (French & Follman 2008.) There isn’t one single answer as to why people experience imposter syndrome, but, if you don't know the signs, it can negatively impact your professional and personal life. According to the Clance scale, the higher the score, the more frequently and seriously the Impostor Phenomenon interferes in a person’s life. External influences may also negatively impact the IP syndrome when an individual is thrust into a relatively new scenario with little to no experience and/or support. (Chayer, M.H., & Bouffard, T. 2010)
What is your imposter score? Click on the link a grade yourself on the Clance Scale:
References
Capellino, T. (2019). Finding the superhero within: Overcoming imposter syndrome [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from: https://cui.blackboard.com/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_43486_1&content_id=_1507533_1&mode=reset
Chayer, M.H., & Bouffard, T. (2010). Relations between impostor feelings and upward and downward identification and contrast among 10- to 12-year-old students. European Journal of Psychology of Education 25(1). 125-140.
Cusack, C. E., Hughes, J. L., & Nuhu, N. (2013). Connecting Gender and Mental Health to Imposter Phenomenon Feelings. Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research, 18(2), 74–81. doi: 10.24839/2164-8204.jn18.2.74
French, B. & Follman, D. (April 2008) Personality and Individual Difference. The Psychometric properties of the clance Imposter Scale. Volume 44, Issue 5, 1270-1278
Sherman, R. (May 2013). Imposter syndrome: When you feel like you're faking it. American Nurse Today, 57.
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