Impostor Syndrome When You Doubt Your Capabilities: Sometimes everyone finds flaws in themselves, questioning their own abilities, but if you do this often then you need to be alert, because you may be a victim of Impostor Syndrome. This is a disease in which people start doubting their own achievements, abilities and success. They start feeling that they are not worthy and every success they have achieved is a hoax or they start counting themselves in the category of fraud. This syndrome can affect anyone regardless of job or social status, but it is often faced by highly ambitious people. In some people, its symptoms last for a limited time, such as in the initial days of a new job, while in some its symptoms are lifelong. Today we will talk about this syndrome, which creates doubts about one’s own ability, after all, how do people become victims of it and why does this happen?
Imposter syndrome revealed 44 years ago
Psychologists first described imposter syndrome in 1978. According to a review for the year 2020, nine to 82 percent of people experience imposter syndrome at some point in their life. After all, how does the patient of this syndrome feel, how can he be identified, then there is no need to worry. Psychologists have told about the symptoms of this syndrome. medical news today According to this, a person suffering from this syndrome has a feeling of being deceitful. He feels that he has done something wrong and someone can catch his mistake. He always feels scared because of this. Alam is that he also starts looking at his success with suspicion. He does not believe that what he has achieved is the result of his ability. A sense of self-doubt to a certain extent can help a person assess one’s achievements and potential, but too much self-doubt can also have a negative impact on a person’s self-image. These symptoms are seen in a person with imposter syndrome. Because of this, many aspects of his life are affected. Such as having an impact on the performance of the work, doubting yourself, holding external factors accountable for your success.
impact on job performance
A person suffering from imposter syndrome may fear that his supervisor is giving him more work to manage than he is capable of. He finds himself unable to deliver by doing this work. The fear of failure engulfs the mind of such a person. As a result, he keeps stopping himself from achieving big achievements. He is always afraid of doing everything wrong. In this way, this syndrome affects the performance of his entire work.
focus on limited responsibilities
published in 2014 research According to reports, people with imposter syndrome avoid taking on responsibilities of extra work. He concentrates only on limited tasks. This affects their performance to prove their own abilities. He always avoids doing extra work out of fear that it will affect the quality of that work, that is, he will not be able to do that extra work properly.
doubt yourself
People facing this type of syndrome start doubting their own success. Even when such a person achieves significant success, he still fails to recognize his achievements. Instead of celebrating this success, he drowns in anxiety. He feels that what he has achieved, he has got it unintentionally on the strength of luck. He feels that others will come to know the truth that what he has got is not the result of his ability.
Giving credit for your success to outside factors
The patient of imposter syndrome becomes so self-doubtful about himself that he even denies his ability. He feels that his success is a combination of external factors. On this, if ever things go wrong, he blames himself and blames himself for this.
Job dissatisfaction and inability to do better
In some cases, a person suffering from imposter syndrome is unable to cope with the challenges even at his/her workplace. He is always haunted by the futile fear of failure and being caught for his shortcomings. Such an attitude also creates obstacles in the way of his promotion and fulfilling additional responsibilities. He is always surrounded by the feeling of overcoming his shortcomings. Due to this, he gets so mentally exhausted that he does not have confidence in his ability. The results of a 2014 study suggest that people with this syndrome stay in their positions because they do not believe they can do better. Such a person may underestimate his skills or it may fail to recognize that his ability in other roles can lead him to a better position.
avoid asking for promotions
People with imposter syndrome may deny their importance because of underestimating their skills and abilities. Because of this, he keeps avoiding seeking promotion in his field, because he does not believe that he is worth it. A study done in the year 1978 revealed that when a person got a better post in the job, he believed that there must have been a mistake in the selection process, because he felt how he could be eligible for the post.
Focus on tasks and goal setting
In this syndrome the fear of failure and the need to be the best sometimes turns into an ambition for extreme achievement. This allows a person to set extremely challenging goals for himself and feel hopeless when he is unable to achieve them.
impact on mental health
The fear of not considering oneself to be very capable leads to mental health problems in some cases. In such a situation, a person suffering from imposter syndrome experiences anxiety, feelings of being deceived, depression, hopelessness, lack of confidence and shame. However, experts do not classify this syndrome as a deteriorating mental health.
Types of Imposter Syndrome
Dr. Valerie Young, author of The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Imposter Syndrome and How to Thrive in the Spite of It, has identified five types of “imposters”. The first of these is the specialist type – such people do not feel satisfied while completing any work, until they feel that they know everything about the subject. In such people, the time spent in gathering their information can make it difficult to complete their works and projects. Perfectionists falling in the second category tend to set goals for themselves which are beyond their control. Because of this, they face anxiety, doubt and depression. Instead of celebrating his achievements, he focuses more on where he could have done better. Natural geniuses come in the third category. They acquire new skills quickly and easily, but when they are faced with an extreme goal, they can feel ashamed and weak. In the fourth category come the imposters of Ekla Chalo, who like to work alone. For this reason, they are always afraid to ask for help in any work that it will reveal their incompetence. Such imposters reject any kind of help due to their self-judgment too much. The fifth type of imposter is the superhero type who excels after a lot of effort, as in “workaholism”. This can lead to burnout, which can affect physical and mental health and relationships with others.
no less danger
Symptoms of imposter syndrome can emerge in any person, but there are some reasons that increase its risk. Sometimes the best opportunities recently found, promotions also give rise to imposter syndrome in a person. In such a situation, the person is not able to adapt himself to the new position. He feels that what he got was not worth it. He starts feeling that he will not be able to do well. In many cases, the family environment also becomes the cause of imposter syndrome. When a person grows up with “talented” siblings, they tend to be surrounded by a feeling of being lacking in themselves, which is not right. On the contrary, if he himself is born talented, then when faced with difficult situations, he starts doubting his own ability. Research suggests that even people from marginalized communities are easily victims of imposter syndrome. Discrimination is also a big reason in this. Depression and anxiety are common in people with Imposter Syndrome. Although it has been proved in many researches that this syndrome does not only affect women, but its scope is beyond age, gender.
Tips for overcoming imposter syndrome
There is currently no specific treatment for imposter syndrome. Those who are worried about its impact in their lives, they can seek help from a mental health professional. In many cases, talking openly about it can also reduce the severity of this syndrome. In such a situation, sharing your feelings with family, friend circle, colleagues who are trusted can give relief to a person suffering from imposter syndrome. This can help them develop a more realistic view of their abilities. Although some experts also recommend group therapy as a treatment option, many people with this syndrome mistakenly believe that they only have these feelings. This separates them from other people. Along with this, by going to mental health professionals, a person with imposter syndrome is able to speak openly. This can help him identify his feelings, giving him a chance to deal with the reasons behind it. It is also important to know the symptoms of this syndrome so that it can be treated properly. Along with this, to prevent this syndrome, it is also necessary to make a habit of accepting that perfection does not happen anywhere. It gives courage to accept both one’s own strengths and weaknesses. No one seems to be perfect, and mistakes are an inevitable part of life. This kind of flexible thinking keeps mental health good. Apart from this, the attitude of challenging negative thoughts also proves to be effective in dealing with this syndrome. It is also a good treat to celebrate your current achievements, express happiness, remember your past successes, keep a record of your positive moments.
Also read:
Mindfulness: What is Mindfulness Technique? Know how to take advantage of it
Check out below Health Tools-
Calculate Your Body Mass Index ( BMI )
