# What is imposter syndrome and how can you combat it? - Elizabeth Cox

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQUxL4Jm1Lo

[00:07] Even after writing eleven books and winning several prestigious awards, Maya Angelou couldn’t escape the nagging doubt that she hadn’t really earned her accomplishments.
[00:18] Albert Einstein experienced something similar: he described himself as an “involuntary swindler” whose work didn’t deserve as much attention as it had received.
[00:28] Accomplishments at the level of Angelou’s or Einstein’s are rare, but their feeling of fraudulence is extremely common.
[00:35] Why can’t so many of us shake feelings that we haven’t earned our accomplishments, or that our ideas and skills aren’t worthy of others’ attention?
[00:43] Psychologist Pauline Rose Clance was the first to study this unwarranted sense of insecurity.
[00:49] In her work as a therapist, she noticed many of her undergraduate patients shared a concern: though they had high grades, they didn’t believe they deserved their spots at the university.
[01:00] Some even believed their acceptance had been an admissions error.
[01:03] While Clance knew these fears were unfounded, she could also remember feeling the exact same way in graduate school.
[01:09] She and her patients experienced something that goes by a number of names-- imposter phenomenon, imposter experience, and imposter syndrome.
[01:18] Together with colleague Suzanne Imes, Clance first studied imposterism in female college students and faculty.
[01:25] Their work established pervasive feelings of fraudulence in this group.
[01:28] Since that first study, the same thing has been established across gender, race, age, and a huge range of occupations, though it may be more prevalent and disproportionately affect the experiences of underrepresented or disadvantaged groups.
[01:43] To call it a syndrome is to downplay how universal it is.
[01:47] It's not a disease or an abnormality, and it isn’t necessarily tied to depression, anxiety, or self-esteem.
[01:55] Where do these feelings of fraudulence come from?
[01:57] People who are highly skilled or accomplished tend to think others are just as skilled.
[02:02] This can spiral into feelings that they don’t deserve accolades and opportunities over other people.
[02:07] And as Angelou and Einstein experienced,
[02:09] There’s often no threshold of accomplishment that puts these feelings to rest.
[02:14] Feelings of imposterism aren’t restricted to highly skilled individuals, either.
[02:19] Everyone is susceptible to a phenomenon known as pluralistic ignorance,
[02:23] where we each doubt ourselves privately,
[02:25] but believe we’re alone in thinking that way because no one else voices their doubts.
[02:30] Since it’s tough to really know how hard our peers work, how difficult they find certain tasks, or how much they doubt themselves,
[02:38] there’s no easy way to dismiss feelings that we’re less capable than the people around us.
[02:43] Intense feelings of imposterism can prevent people from sharing their great ideas or applying for jobs and programs where they’d excel.
[02:51] At least so far, the most surefire way to combat imposter syndrome is to talk about it.
[02:56] Many people suffering from imposter syndrome are afraid that if they ask about their performance, their fears will be confirmed.
[03:02] And even when they receive positive feedback, it often fails to ease feelings of fraudulence.
[03:08] But on the other hand, hearing that an advisor or mentor has experienced feelings of imposterism
[03:13] Can help relieve those feelings.
[03:14] The same goes for peers.
[03:16] Even simply finding out there’s a term for these feelings can be an incredible relief.
[03:21] Once you’re aware of the phenomenon, you can combat your own imposter syndrome by collecting and revisiting positive feedback.
[03:28] One scientist who kept blaming herself for problems in her lab started to document the causes every time something went wrong.
[03:34] Eventually, she realized most of the problems came from equipment failure, and came to recognize her own competence.
[03:41] We may never be able to banish these feelings entirely, but we can have open conversations about academic or professional challenges.
[03:48] With increasing awareness of how common these experiences are, perhaps we can feel freer to be frank about our feelings and build confidence in some simple truths: you have talent, you are capable, and you belong.