Imposter syndrome is where you are regularly experiencing thoughts and feelings that you are a fraud. Please note the word “regularly” here. Experiencing these thoughts now and again is not imposter syndrome, in fact, occasionally feeling like a fraud is pretty much human nature.
It’s the frequency of these negative thoughts and feelings that make the difference. A person experiencing imposter syndrome will believe that they do not deserve to be where they are, and they believe it nearly all the time. This can be in a specific job position and even owning a business. Imposter syndrome isn’t exclusive to one’s professional life, it can creep up in your personal life also. Some people feel, rather strongly, that they don’t deserve their family members or spouse.
When you experience imposter syndrome, you are going to feel a lot more anxious than usual. You can become terrified that you will be found out as an imposter and that the consequences will be dire. Some people that suffer from imposter syndrome feel like their whole world is imploding, or is always on the brink of absolute destruction.
Common Symptoms of Imposter Syndrome
Persistent Feelings Of Self-Doubt
One of the most common symptoms with imposter syndrome is an increase in self-doubt. If you have noticed that your self-esteem has really tanked recently, ask yourself if you’ve been focusing a great deal on feelings of being fake or fraudulent. Do you frequently find yourself concerned that your loved ones will find out you’re not who they thought you were?
Regular Perfectionist Tendencies
A lot of people that experience imposter syndrome start to develop perfectionist tendencies. The reason behind this is pretty straightforward. If one is feeling like a fraud all the time, one must prove themselves. Perfectionist tendencies are rooted in the need to do everything according to their definition of “perfect”, in order to show they are not imposters.
While this makes sense, this type of thinking (pursuit of perfectionism) has a lot of drawbacks. Nobody and nothing in life is perfect. In reality, perfect is a subjective word, much like art.
Driven To Perform Better Than Others
Another symptom of imposter syndrome is the desire to always perform better than other people.
Again, it’s believed that the rationale behind this is the need to prove oneself as real or genuine. People suffering from imposter syndrome often work a lot harder than others to ensure that they are seen to be the top performer.
Imposter Syndrome Often Results In Self-Sabotage
People that regularly experience feelings of being an imposter are more prone to self-sabotage. They may be progressing really well and then suddenly do something to undo all of their good work. The reason for this is that they probably have a self-confidence crisis and think that they are not good enough.
Oftentimes, they fixate on their perceived gains or progress and eventually decide that even hard-earned accolades are fake.
Unable To Accept Compliments
If you are experiencing imposter syndrome, you may find it tough to accept compliments from others. You don’t feel worthy of any positive attention, so any compliments received can be ignored because you believe that people are just feeling sorry for you.
Those suffering from imposter syndrome have low-esteem and often find it difficult to believe that others have positive feelings for them.
The Main Causes Of Imposter Syndrome
Imposter syndrome doesn’t just come out of nowhere. We’ll examine the most common causes below. But first, one thing that you must understand is that imposter syndrome is not linked to any kind of modesty or humility.
Now let’s take a look at the main causes of imposter syndrome.
Recalling Past Failures
We have all made mistakes and done things that we regret in the past. If you dwell on these failures, then this can bring on imposter syndrome. Some people are continually haunted by their past and regularly think about the mistakes they have made a long time ago.
Dwelling in the past is senseless and counterproductive. After all, what is done, is done. The best way to deal with the past is to learn from it. Then you need to let go. Constantly harping back to past negative events in your life can cause you a lot of stress and anxiety.
People In Your Life Can Trigger Imposter Syndrome
Not all of your friends will support you all the time. The same can be true of work colleagues and even family members. Words are extremely powerful, and if you hear the wrong things from the people around you often enough, this can bring on imposter syndrome.
Have you ever heard from anyone in your life that you are useless? Perhaps you were told that you would never be a success? These are the kind of comments that some people will internalize and obsess over. In some cases, this can result in a person feeling that they are not worthy.
People like to belong to groups, and there can be situations where the dynamics of a group can cause imposter syndrome. If you decide that you are going to be unique in some way and stand out from the crowd, other group members may castigate you for this and make you feel insecure.
Childhood Limiting Beliefs
Your experiences from your childhood could be responsible for the onset of imposter syndrome in later life. A lot of parents push their children to do well and if they do not live up to expectations then there are often negative consequences of this.
Another thing is that an authority figure in your life as a child may have criticized you in such a way that it really left a mark. Being told that you will never amount to anything can be devastating to a child. This is especially true when it comes from parents or a teacher, for example.
These days, there is a tendency for parents to “overprotect” their children. Of course, parents need to protect their kids, but if they overprotect them, then they can grow up not knowing what to expect when they are an adult.
A child that has never had to deal with any challenging situations before can be really unprepared for the world. This can hit them hard, and they can be subjected to negative comments from other adults. In the worst cases, this can definitely trigger imposter syndrome.
You Do Need To Know The Actual Cause
In order for you to overcome imposter syndrome, you need to know what is causing it. It can be painful trying to figure this out, but it is worth the pain of doing this. Otherwise, you will only be treating the symptoms and not getting to the root cause of the problem.
