The Impostor Phenomenon is the feeling that you:
In short, you feel like a fraud.
Sometimes though the feelings of impostorness can be positive. They might surface when we are trying out something new. When we do that, we have to step outside our comfort zone. This can be unsettling, and it is normal to feel like we do not know what we are doing. So sometimes the feelings of impostorness can be a sign that we are learning and growing and getting more experience.
Mostly though, we experience Impostor Phenomenon as something unpleasant and uncomfortable. Often it is a sign we do not believe in ourselves. Our inner voice is telling us we are not good enough. Impostor phenomenon can happen when we base how we feel about ourselves on how we think other people see us. If these two things don’t match, then we might feel like we are hiding behind a mask, or that we should keep out of conversations because we think we have nothing to say, or maybe we turn down invitations because we think we can’t or shouldn’t go. Maybe we don’t go along because we are afraid that people will find out we are not good enough.
You may have heard this described as ‘Impostor Syndrome’. However, in 1978 when Clance and Imes began exploring the issue, they named it ‘Impostor Phenomenon’. Over time, this has morphed into ‘Impostor Syndrome’. The change in terminology is interesting for it brings a different focus. Calling something a ‘syndrome’ medicalises it and makes it sound as though those who experience it have something wrong with them that needs to be fixed. It suggests that the problem is in them and ignores the bigger picture, the wider social and cultural context. So, I try to remember to avoid the label ‘syndrome’ and resurrect the phrase ‘Impostor Phenomenon’.
In the sessions I run, we focus on exploring what Impostor Phenomenon feels like and what it might feel like to shake it off. We focus on what we can do in spite of the influence of the wider social, cultural, environmental influences and we begin to dare to imagine what it might feel like to make friends with, or at least, quieten down the impostor.
Karen Rodham, Health Psychologist.
Karen is a Health Psychologist. She has worked in academia since being awarded her PhD in 1995. She combined her academic role with a practice role in the NHS in Bath from 2006-2013, where she led the health psychology service for adults living with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. She was also elected Chair of her professional body, the Division of Health Psychology (2015-2017). Her research focuses on how we can better help people to live well in spite of their long-term physical health condition(s). More recently, she has become interested in the experience many people have, but few feel able to mention – the impostor phenomenon – and how we can all learn to live well with our impostor.
