10 signs that you are affected by the impostor phenomenon

What is the impostor phenomenon?

The impostor phenomenon or “impostorism” is a type of professional inferiority complex which was discovered by American psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes back in the 1970s. They found it in particular among female students who were struck by performance anxiety leading up to their exams, although they had always done well in the past.

Here in Denmark, awareness of impostorism is still rather limited, and it is often confused with perfectionism. While there may be a larger or smaller degree of overlap, a person can easily be affected by impostorism without being a perfectionist, or vice versa.

 

However, it is NOT a syndrome or a diagnosis. The phenomenon affects completely healthy and high-functioning individuals. In fact, it particularly affects the most capable, most introverted and most intelligent people.

This means that impostorism is a special type of inferiority complex that is lurking in the unconscious and only surfaces when you have to make a visible effort, when you’re assessed by others, when you get promoted or change jobs or when you start looking for your first job after completing your studies.

 

10 typical signs of the impostor phenomenon

1. You underestimate yourselfand believe that what you can do, everyone can do. You certainly don’t think it’s anything special since you haven’t made any real effort.
2. You constantly compare yourselfto others, thinking that they are much more clever, capable and competent and that they have a lot more knowledge and experience than you.
3. You’re sure that things are about to go wrong. Although you’ve always done well in exams, presentations etc., you are convinced that next timeit will go completely wrong!
4. You focus on your own faults and shortcomings.Instead of giving yourself recognition for what you know and are able to do, you end up focusing on what youdon’t know or can’t do.
5. You think you’ve just been fortunate or worked extra hard. If you’re successful, you may think that it must be due to chance or error, luck or extra hard work.
6. You find it hard to accept praise and recognition.When others praise you, you are inclined to think that they are just being friendly, that they feel sorry for you or that they haven’t yet discovered any of the faults.
7. You have massive expectations of yourself. You tend to set the bar sky-high, and on the rare occasion that you might come close to it, you immediately raise it even higher.
8. You find it difficult to be visible – because this means that you are exposed to and at the mercy of other people’s assessments of your efforts, and since you are very strict and critical in your assessment of yourself, you obviously believe that others are even stricter when they have to assess you.
9. You need to be the best or something special – in order to believe that you are good enough, and to be reasonably satisfied with yourself and your efforts.
10. You constantly fear being exposed – and that others will discover how little you can actually do, and how little you know. When you’re found out – and it’s only a question of time – you’re convinced that you will be sacked. That’s why you’ll maybe hurry up and resign…

 

But what can you do about it?

First of all, it can be a huge relief to find out that there is actually a name for this and that many others feel the same way.

Since 2012, I have helped hundreds of people affected by the impostor phenomenon to change their patterns of thought and action. I have done so by using specific exercises and tools while following this model:

Step 1 is in fact your CONSCIOUSNESS of the impostor phenomenon and why you are affected by it: when and how it is evident in you.

Step 2 is your REFLECTIONS in daily life and all those situations where impostor thoughts and feelings may limit or even torment you.

Step 3 is that you start to ACT and BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY than you would usually do in those situations which are particularly challenging for you as someone affected by the impostor phenomenon.

Step 4 is PERSEVERANCE, and this is often the most difficult one, because the impostor phenomenon is an actual complex and a part of your unconscious personality. It requires persistent consciousness, reflections and actions to banish the impostor phenomenon to such an extent that you can unfold yourself and your potential.

This is the model that we use in the first book in Danish on this topic – Impostor-komplekset. My co-author Rebekka scored 100 out of 100 when she got in touch with me. After completing her development plan, she scored less than 40.

Try the Impostor test for yourself