‎3 Strategies to Conquer Imposter Syndrome‎

Do you feel ‎like you hide behind a façade, fearful of being exposed? Are you the first ‎in your family to attend college or ‎university? Do you feel a need to explain yourself because of your unique experiences? Do you feel out of sync with the “‎wavelength” of the academy, as if you operate at a different frequency? Do you feel disconnected from ‎others in your field of study? In other words: Do you struggle ‎with imposter syndrome? ‎

Understanding the Imposter Syndrome

Clance and Imes defined imposter phenomenon or imposter syndrome as “an internal experience of intellectual phonies.” They found, especially during early research, that imposter syndrome is more prevalent within “a select sample of high achieving women.” Clance and O’Toole argued that for both women and men, imposter syndrome “present[s] a significant problem,” thereby preventing them “from actually reaching their highest potential.”

Steele and Aronson formulated stereotype threat theory in 1995, and it has been ‎‎substantiated in many other studies. Steele provides a novel ‎mechanism through which ‎the performance of stigmatized groups is impaired. As Steele ‎explained, the fundamental principle of stereotype threat theory is that people who have been ‎historically associated with social identity threat ‎underperform in a given social space in which ‎the negative stereotype is evoked.

Whether the stereotype is factually correct or incorrect is not pertinent to theory; what matters is that the stereotype is upheld by people as a “threat in the air.” Steele claimed in Whistling Vivaldi that ‎stereotype threat is a universal predicament that all humans, ‎under certain social and cultural circumstances, may experience. The theory has ‎been replicated in many settings, including with white students, who are not traditionally seen as a ‎‎marginalized group; with women in math and science; with older people doing memory-related tasks; and with white ‎people in sports predominated by ‎people of color.

3 Strategies for Coping

Kenneth Bartlett, a professor and department chair at the ‎College of Education and Human Development at the ‎University of Minnesota, teaches a doctoral research seminar that aims to initiate newly minted ‎doctoral students into the complex reality of academia. Professor Bartlett is ‎an impressive leader and a terrific public speaker; he has a ‎presence in the room, and his seminar is informative and entertaining. Professor Bartlett teaches, inspires, and delights. ‎In an invigorating class discussion, Professor Bartlett asked students (myself included) to ‎describe what it feels like to struggle with imposter ‎syndrome.

Our shared experience is that ‎imposter syndrome makes us feel “alone, isolated, insecure, ‎afraid, and rejected.” It also makes us “attribute success to ‎external factors and failure to internal factors.” It tempts us ‎to interpret negative feedback “as an indication of deficit in ‎character.” ‎Professor Bartlett suggested that, unless we confront and ‎interrogate those personal beliefs, imposter syndrome won’t ‎go away. Professor Bartlett, along with contributions from the students, ‎suggested three ways to cope with imposter syndrome: ‎

1. Cognitively reframe your experiences. Be kind to yourself. ‎Respect and love yourself. When you fail, as you’ll inevitably ‎do, it’s not an indication of an inferiority in your intellect. ‎Christopher Johnstone, an associate professor and director of graduate studies at the University of Minnesota, put it well: ‎Rejection from journals should be viewed as feedback for further improvements. Of ‎course, this mental reframing is easier said than done. Samuel ‎Beckett, ‎in Worstward Ho,‎ offered this mantra: ‎‎“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail ‎better‎.” Beckett made a career out of this sentiment; you ‎can use it to manage the predicament of imposter syndrome and fail forward. ‎

2. Connect with like-minded people. Be intentional about ‎cultivating an interesting group of smart friends. Bryan Garner, ‎an estimable authority in English language usage and a fastidious writer, once ‎said that it’s difficult to find a good friend and a good writer. I ‎agree. It’s also difficult and rare to find a good friend with whom ‎you can navigate the terrain of imposter syndrome. But ‎look around and you may be surprised by the power of true ‎friendships and candid conversations.‎ Adam Grant, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, argued that “the average person has at least three close friends” and that “best friends are a modern invention.”

3. Reorder your priorities. This is your solo ‎homework. Above all, prioritize your health. Set ‎actionable and reasonable goals. Become familiar with the ‎landscape of your study. ‎No one can do this work for you. Learn how to say “no” to things that don’t move your agenda. Everyone is selfish in this world, so you may as well put your own agenda in the proper place—at the top of your list.

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Conclusion

Remember that feeling like an imposter, a fraud, or a façade is a common ‎experience, especially for historically marginalized students. ‎Although that feeling is normal, it’s unhealthy to avoid the ‎issue; you must confront the complexity of those unruly ‎feelings to overcome them. That’s also homework no one can do for you. If ‎you haven’t yet taken an active role in addressing your ‎feelings around being an imposter, the time to do so is now.