Is This Imposter Syndrome or Does Your Company Suck?
Impostor Syndrome, which is when a person doubts their abilities despite their accomplishments, can cause significant anxiety, fear, and depression, as well as burnout in the workplace. But sometimes what might be perceived as “impostor syndrome” is actually the result of a toxic or biased work environment.
The phenomenon of impostor syndrome was first described in 1978 by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Ames in a study of high achievement women. In an attempt to correct their perceived inability, a person with impostor syndrome often works harder and harder for fear of being exposed for cheating. When a person dealing with Impostor Syndrome achieves something or gets praise, they may see it as little more than luck.
“[Impostor Syndrome] is a collection of thoughts and behaviors associated with feeling fake or cheating despite your accomplishments,” said Melody Wilding, a licensed lead social worker and author of Trust Yourself: Stop Reimagining and Channeling Your Emotions About success at work . “There is a difference between how you perceive yourself and your abilities, and what is fact.”
How much is impostor syndrome related to a person’s work environment?
While solutions for coping with imposter syndrome often focus on the person experiencing it, the work environment is also critical – especially since it is more common in women and people of color, many of whom may not have supportive mentors or peers who are similar to them.
As Ruchika Tulshian and Jodi-Anne Burei wrote earlier this year in a Harvard Business Review article entitled “ Stop Telling Women They Have Impostor Syndrome ”: “Even if women demonstrate strength, ambition and resilience, our daily struggle with microaggression, especially expectations and assumptions shaped by stereotypes and racism often let us down. Impostor Syndrome as a concept fails to grasp this dynamic and places the burden of dealing with the consequences on women. ”
These environmental factors can lead to impostor syndrome.
As Tulshian and Burei note in their article , when the concept of impostor syndrome was first developed, it did not take into account the impact of a prejudiced workplace on a person. In the absence of this context, as well as the inclusion of a diverse set of participants in the original research, the focus was on correcting the individual experiencing impostor syndrome rather than the environment that might have caused it. They say it needs to be changed.
As Wilding points out, some work environments are more likely to cause imposter syndrome than others. This includes very rapidly changing jobs, along with jobs that value external achievement highly. Another example is a workplace where managers only criticize, not praise or reward.
“It’s starting to ruin your head,” she said. “It always seems to you that you are walking on an eggshell, or that at any moment you make one wrong move, and that’s all, you can be fired.”
Another factor that makes a person susceptible to impostor syndrome is whether they are a trailblazer or the first (or only) person of race or gender to hold a position or rise to a certain level in the company. In this situation, they may not only employ a biased system, but often do so without guidance from others who understand their unique situation.
How to survive in a hostile work environment
Ultimately, the best solution to prevent impostor syndrome is to make workplaces more inclusive. Until that happens, however, in addition to understanding the role that the work environment plays, there are several strategies that people can use to mitigate the impact.
As Wilding suggests, one strategy is that if you cannot find the support you need in the immediate work environment, be creative in finding it outside the country, for example by joining a professional community or looking for a mentor from another unit.
She also suggests identifying and naming your inner critic to separate yourself from him a little. “Giving [your inner critic] a personality that is separate from you can help you recognize when this is happening,” Wilding said. She also recommends making it a habit to focus on what you are doing right, which may include making a list of your victories, both small and large.
“We all have an inner critic,” Wilding said, “but we all have an inner cheerleader.”