Eilidh McIntosh, Business Development Associate at Caritas Neuro Solutions Ltd attends a workshop featuring an all-female panel from top UK legal firm Shepherd and Wedderburn to discuss the impact of impostor syndrome on women’s professional lives.
Have you ever considered yourself a failure while others praise your work? Have you ever struggled with your feelings of self-worth, when it seems that all those around you are content with your performance? Do you feel like it’s all an act that won’t fool anyone for much longer? It’s a feeling that it’s said 70% of the population will encounter at some point or persistently over the course of their lives (Sakulku, 2011). You most certainly aren’t alone.
‘Impostor Syndrome’, a term first coined in the late 1970s, is a descriptive turn of phrase that is becoming more and more prevalent among those in white collar occupations, and all those that society generally considers to be ‘high performing’ (Sherman, 2013). While it is not a mental illness in and of itself, it is commonly found in those who have a history of mental health issues (Bravata, 2020), and largely owing to societal factors, imposter syndrome may be more present in women and minorities (Mullangi & Jagsi, 2019).
Impostor syndrome is not just limited to the world of work however, the academic world is also littered with pitfalls, making people feel alien in an environment they ought to feel relatively safe and at home. It is often expressed as self-doubt in sufferers, but also doubt in those who have placed responsibility; a constant questioning as to why they’ve been placed in the position they are, feeling as though there has been some terrible mix-up or mistake, despite their quality of work being high (Chrousos & Mentis, 2020). Many who suffer with impostor syndrome await the dreaded ‘tap on the shoulder’ by a workplace authority to tell them their work isn’t good enough, and that their services will be no longer required. They may chalk their successes down to blind luck as opposed to their character or the talents that they bring to the table. It may very well seem that interaction with superiors, colleagues, stakeholders or partners – must be ruthlessly examined in detail to ensure there isn’t the slightest hint of a faux pas; using the wrong emoji to indicate the tone of a message may ring in your mind for days on end.
The all-female panel of legal minds held a discussion, raising the fact that women may be prone to pre-empt impostor syndrome by attempting to show self-awareness in a self-sabotaging way, describing themselves as ‘rubbish’, setting what they perceive to be a low bar for themselves so that expectations aren’t too high as to cause disappointment or embarrassment for others – often driven by fear as a self-perceived method of protecting oneself from pitfalls in the professional world. The idea of failure not as a potential systemic collapse to actively self-manage oneself away from, but as a certain fact of life to be faced down the line. This effect is multiplied for those on the autistic spectrum (Tumlin, 2019), those who come from an ethnic minority background (Mullangi & Jagsi, 2019), perhaps those identifying as LGBT, which remains under researched (Paz, 2021), and those who have other incidences of neurodivergence or mental illness (Freeman & Peisah, 2021). As someone who fits the bill for all but one of those, it is a struggle I personally recognise all too well.
So, the question remains, what can we do about it?
The panelists, with decades of legal practice behind them, echoed recognisable experiences they’ve encountered in their personal and professional lives, noting that impostor syndrome may persist even in the most supportive of environments. Despite flying high in their careers, some of the panelists still reported impostor syndrome even just presenting a workshop on the subject. This had clearly been the right place to seek answers, these women were strong and accomplished legal practitioners who had clearly overcome a great many challenges.
They began to speak from experience on some of the best ways to counter impostor syndrome as it arises, both as an individual and as part of a collective unit, the advice they offered;
- Leaders and employers ought to create a work culture that encourages colleagues to raise one another up of their own volition, to comment on the abilities of one another and give them a shot of confidence in the arm that they may not be able to deliver to themselves.
- Taking little moments to be self-satisfied, even if the prevailing societal narrative dictates that doing so is somehow arrogant. If you’ve done something exceptional, or completed your work to a high standard, you have every right to celebrate it.
- To have a physical document of your achievements and things you’re proud of! Keep a ‘brag file’ of your achievements, of things you’re proud to have done in the name of self-improvement, community building, developing your business, or whatever manner of vocation you’re investing your time in.
- Improving the conditions of your life, and thus improving your background mental health, and with it your self-confidence and sense of self-worth. The Caritas Cohesion model recommends, keeping a wholesome and varied diet, regular exercise, yoga, mindfulness, breath-work, cognitive behavioral therapy and regular access (if possible) to natural spaces.
- Those higher up the tree in an institution or enterprise should continually appraise and praise the talents of those in their employ, giving them directive feedback on areas they can improve on, providing reassurances regarding potential anxieties where possible.
- Entering a meeting pretending as though everyone is delighted to see you, even if it’s not strictly true – faking the confidence (but not the competence) of someone in your position can be a useful tool in gathering the courage to speak up at meetings.
- Asking even simple questions can cut through something termed ‘crowd ignorance’, where there may be many people in an audience with the same burning question but are too embarrassed to ask. The chances are that if you feel the need to ask, others likely have the same question.
The investigation of Impostor Syndrome is a relatively recent phenomenon in the history of human psychology, but one that has certainly struck a chord with professionals from disenfranchised groups; indeed, with around 220 other attendees at the seminar, all we can really say in closing is that there is some good news…
It isn’t just you. You’re not alone in feeling this way.
References
Chrousos, G. & Mentis, A. (2020). Imposter Syndrome Threatens Diversity. Science, 367(6479), https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.aba8039?casa_token=yX-EM9FnkNoAAAAA:MmIA0-9EbUlydVeSMEUC67nqcphSHhVTpl9zjqTiVw9u6U9ooeRyL53nWT55YF-TxuDzZFMEryIAWNI
Freeman, J., & Peisah, C. (2022). Imposter syndrome in doctors beyond training: a narrative review. Australasian Psychiatry, 30(1), 49–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/10398562211036121
Mullangi, S. and Jagsi, R. (2019). Imposter Syndrome. JAMA, 322(5), p.403. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2740724?casa_token=ouXuKFzLiPwAAAAA:ufT_GvvIhwdPp0D1kXPPsypSnjHzNPr72WScDqv1rzwXOktTCySmqYh7uq3ztdNfvFTK2hvhJBs
Paz, J. (2021). A SEAT AT THE TABLE: WHY YOU DESERVE IT, BUT YOUR BRAIN MIGHT BE TELLING YOU OTHERWISE. [online] Race, Gender, Sexuality, & Social Justice Law Journal. Available at: https://ggusocialjusticelj.org/2021/10/25/a-seat-at-the-table-why-you-deserve-it-but-your-brain-might-be-telling-you-otherwise/
Sakulku, J. (2011) The Impostor Phenomenon, The Journal of Behavioral Science, 6(1), pp. 75–97. doi: 10.14456/ijbs.2011.6.
Sherman, R. O. 2013. Imposter syndrome: When you feel like you’re faking it. American Nurse Today 8(5):57-58
Tumlin, Z. (2019) “This Is a Quiet Library, Except When It’s Not:” On the Lack of Neurodiversity Awareness in Librarianship, Music Reference Services Quarterly, 22:1-2, 3-17, DOI: 10.1080/10588167.2019.1575017