Summary

The article discusses the prevalence and subtleties of imposter syndrome, its types, and strategies for identifying and overcoming it.

Abstract

The article "How You Suffer from Imposter Syndrome without Any Idea About It" delves into the psychological phenomenon known as imposter syndrome, where individuals doubt their accomplishments and fear being exposed as a fraud. Despite self-awareness, the author shares their personal struggle with this syndrome, emphasizing its subtle nature and the importance of recognizing its presence. The piece outlines various types of imposter syndrome, including the superhero, natural genius, soloist, expert, and perfectionist, noting that it affects an estimated 70% of people. The author highlights a personal conversation with fellow writer George J. Ziogas, which led to the realization of their own imposter syndrome. The article also provides a list of questions to help readers self-assess for symptoms of the syndrome. It suggests that personality traits and environmental conditioning contribute to imposter feelings. To combat these feelings, the author recommends sharing feelings with others, helping others, assessing one's abilities, avoiding comparisons, and questioning one's thoughts. The article concludes by encouraging continuous self-introspection and acknowledging that imposter syndrome can affect anyone, advocating for membership in a supportive community to foster positive self-perception.

Opinions

The author believes that imposter syndrome is a significant barrier to human potential.
They acknowledge that even with high self-awareness, individuals can still suffer from imposter syndrome without realizing it.
The author suggests that overworking (as in the case of the "superhero" type) is a common response to feelings of inadequacy associated with imposter syndrome.
The article posits that imposter syndrome is not officially recognized as a disorder but is nonetheless widespread and impacts many people's lives.
It is implied that writers, due to the nature of their work, may be particularly susceptible to imposter syndrome, especially when comparing their work to others.
The author expresses that our belief systems, shaped by our environment, play a crucial role in the development of imposter syndrome.
They advocate for a supportive community as a means to help individuals overcome imposter syndrome.

How You Suffer from Imposter Syndrome without Any Idea About It

Even if you’re highly aware of yourself, you could still suffer from it

If there’s one thing limiting human potential, it’s imposter syndrome, in my opinion.

This psychological behavior clouds people’s judgment about themselves and how great they’re doing in life. A problem that makes it hard for people to see their worth. With the most subtle being such that you hardly notice if you’re suffering from it.

I’ve been suffering from it despite my keen awareness of myself. That, if it hadn’t been someone pointing it to me, I wouldn’t know.

And since it’s very subtle and sometimes difficult to notice, here’s how to catch it and deal with it.

But first, let’s look at some of the types

According to studies, there’re several types of imposter syndrome, with the most common ones being;

The superhero — You feel inadequate about yourself when suffering from this type. This idea makes you want to overwork yourself to make up for your feelings.
The natural genius — You set exceedingly high goals and feel crushed when you don’t meet them.
The soloist — You prefer to work alone and won’t ask for help even if you need one for fear of being seen as weak or incompetent
The expert— are never satisfied with their level of understanding, always trying to learn more.
The perfectionist— is never completely happy with their work, always focusing on flaws instead of strengths.

As experts say, the syndrome is not a recognized disorder in the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders; it’s common. And an estimated 70% of people will experience it in their lives.

How you can identify you’re suffering from the syndrome

I had gotten the opportunity to speak with a fellow writer, George J. Ziogas. I asked him about his thought on my articles. I told him that I don’t see my content as excellent, especially when compared with other writers.

To answer my question, he said, “Emmanuel, your content is good.” Then, he asked how long I’d been writing, and I told him it’d been a year. Roughly.

But insisting I don’t believe it, he said he thinks the problem might be imposter syndrome. He explained how we’re likely to suffer from it as writers, especially if we’re constantly comparing our works to others.

Honestly, it came as a surprise because I’ve worked on my mindset over the years. And when it comes to my emotions, I’m highly aware of them. So, to think I’m still from something psychologically was shocking to me.

So, at the moment, I asked myself why I hadn’t known it all this while. And he was right. I’ve been comparing my works to other writers, especially Ayodeji Awosika. And whenever I’ve done that, I’ve felt unworthy, forgetting that he’s a person who’s been writing for almost a decade, and everything he writes spans from those years of studies into his subject, and I am only a year old into the art.

Quickly, I read about the subject again. I realized George was right. I’m suffering from it, and it’s not just in one category but multiple — the perfectionists, the natural genius, and the superhero.

Maybe you’re also suffering the same, but you don’t know, and examining yourself with these few questions will help;

Do you agonize over even the most minor mistakes or flaws in your work?
Do you attribute your success to luck or outside factors?
Are you very sensitive to even constructive criticism?
Do you feel like you will inevitably be found out as a phony?
Do you downplay your own expertise, even in areas where you are genuinely more skilled than others?

Other revelations about it

According to psychology, personality traits drive imposter syndrome. Again, something I believe to be true because behind every feeling is a thought and behind that thought is a belief system, which is a trait.

Our belief system, which comes from our environment, drives our lives and what we make of ourselves. So, suppose someone, despite their achievement, feels they don’t deserve it, or they find it difficult to believe they’re capable of something. In that case, it’s simply a matter of the conditioning they receive from parents, the school system, etc. growing up.

I used to suffer from low self-esteem and a sense of unworthiness because of the environment I came from. And discovering it, I thought I’d done the work to deal with it, not knowing I’m still suffering from it in another form.

It’s why I believe you also need to retake a look at yourself. It could be you’re suffering from it, too.

How to cure yourself if you’re suffering from it

Research has come up with numerous ways of dealing with imposter syndrome;

Share your feelings — Talk to other people about how you are feeling. As negative feeling magnifies when not voiced out.
Help others — When you identify people in similar situations and offer to help them deal with theirs, your own problems disappear.
Assess your abilities — Writing down your accomplishments and what you’re good at helps you deal with the disorder.
Stop comparing — Comparison is a thief of joy. Whenever you have compared yourself with others and fall short, you’ll be unhappy. Something that I was doing and wasn’t the best in me.
Question your thoughts. Questioning whether your thoughts are true given everything you know and if it’s accurate that you’re a fraud goes a long way to help you.

There are many other ways too. But I also believe that finding yourself a tribe of people who have your welfare at heart and are willing to let you know the good in you instead of your flaws is an excellent way to deal with the syndrome due to the feedback they could give you about yourself.

Final thoughts

As studies have shown that almost everyone is likely to experience imposter syndrome at least once in their life, all of us aren’t free from it. Not even the super aware.

This means to prevent yourself from being affected; you’ll need to take constant introspection of yourself every time.

Because whether you like it or not, it’s real, and it can affect you at any time.

So, why don’t you start now?

We are all vulnerable to it.

Don’t forget.

If you enjoyed this article and would like to read more of my works and other writers, please click on this link to become a member for just $5 a month, as your contribution helps me write more of these exciting stories. Thank you. Here’s the link again.