Identifying and Disrupting Imposter Syndrome

Imposter Syndrome is something many of us have experienced throughout our lives – nearly 70 percent, in fact, according to a review in the International Journal of Behavioral Science – both at and outside of work. It often manifests itself as feelings of doubt; individuals believe they are getting lucky or fooling peopl rather than reaping the rewards of hard work.

The good news is, we don’t have to accept Imposter Syndrome as inevitable. There are research-based strategies to help us break this draining, unproductive internal cycle of doubt.

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5 Types of Imposters 

Dr. Valerie Young, renowned expert on impostor syndrome and author of The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It, identifies five types of imposters: 

• The Perfectionist: You believe one minor flaw in an otherwise amazing performance (or 99 out of 100) equals total failure.
• The Expert: You expect yourself to know everything, so even a minor lack of knowledge results in feelings of failure. 
• The Natural Genius: You measure competence in terms of ease and speed. The fact that you have to struggle to, or take a few tries to, master a subject or skill equals failure.
• The Soloist: You feel you should be able to do it all on your own, so asking for help is a sign of failure. 
• The Superhuman: You feel you should be able to handle it all, to excel in multiple roles at once. Falling short in any role – parent, partner, colleague, friend – evokes shame. 

Which type resonates with you most? More than likely, you find yourself relating to elements of more than one type. Your external situation might also affect which type you relate to most. For instance, folks working at startups are often asked to play many roles, “wear many hats,” or in this context, be a Superhuman.

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Strategies for Disruption 

A big part of Imposter Syndrome is how we see ourselves. To begin disrupting the cycle of doubt, we must actively work to see ourselves differently. It is easier to control actions than emotions, so when we focus on our actions, we can feel our emotions shift. That’s where these strategies come in. 

It is helpful to think in terms of disruption rather than elimination because the goal of eliminating Imposter Syndrome completely may feel too big or insurmountable. Instead, we simply want to disrupt the cycle as soon as possible. Maybe we start with an easier strategy then work up to some that might be more of a reach. Below are seven strategies we recommend for starting that disruption. 

1. Reframe your fear as excitement: Instead of approaching a new project or scenario with nervousness, try to embrace it as a challenge or learning opportunity. 
2. Accept that you might be on a learning curve: See yourself as human. 
3. Celebrate both effort and outcome: Focus on and feel good about your process.  
4. Let go of perfectionism: Celebrate wins, big and small. 
5. Accept praise: Learn to simply say thank you and accept praise without qualifiers. 
6. Cultivate compassion for yourself: Sometimes, we say things to and about ourselves that we wouldn't dream of saying to someone else. Stop speaking negatively about yourself (to yourself and to others), and instead, treat yourself with compassion.
7. Focus on facts rather than interpretation, e.g. "I got a promotion," rather than, "I got a promotion because I was in the right place at the right time."

Here again, one or more of these strategies could be applied to one or more types of Imposter. These are here simply as tools for you to begin to identify those feelings of doubt and put together a unique framework for disruption.