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Impostor Syndrome.pptx
- 1. IMPOSTOR SYNDROME BY AMARA METU
- 2. Agenda: Welcome message Introduction: What is imposter syndrome? Who else has it? Why does it matter? What circumstances trigger your ‘imposter syndrome’? Do you think anything you do ever triggers ‘imposter syndrome’ in others? What tactics do you use, or can you think of, to stop ‘imposter syndrome’ causing you problems? How to use it to your own adavantage? Close
- 3. What is Impostor Syndrome? • Impostor Syndrome is a pervasive feeling of self-doubt, insecurity, or fraudulence despite often overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Or Impostor syndrome refers to an internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be. • Imposter syndrome, or doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud at work, is a diagnosis often given to women. • Impostor syndrome may sound as a very big word but everyone experiences it, ranging from all works of life.
- 4. A SNEAK PEAK The Science Behind It • “Most people who experience the Impostor Phenomenon (IP) would not say, "I feel like an impostor.” Yet, when they read or hear about the experience, they say, “How did you know exactly how I feel?” And how do they feel? Even though they are often very successful by external standards, they feel their success has been due to some mysterious fluke or luck or great effort; they are afraid their achievements are due to “breaks” and not the result of their own ability and competence.” – Dr. Pauline R. Clance
- 5. Imposter syndrome and you 1. Do you experience imposter syndrome? 1. Yes 2. Sometimes 3. No 4. Don’t know enough about imposter syndrome to say 5. Other 2. Does it affect your professional life? 1. A lot 2. A bit 3. No 4. Don’t know
- 6. A QUICK PICTORIAL EXPLANATION
- 7. “I’m a fraud” The exaggerated esteem in which my lifework is held makes me very ill at ease. I feel compelled to think of myself as an involuntary swindler. Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ‘Sometimes I wake up in the morning before going off to a shoot, and I think, I can’t do this. I’m a fraud.’ Kate Winslet
- 8. “They’re going to find me out” I have written 11 books but each time I think ‘Uh-oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re going to find me out.’ Maya Angelou
- 9. “I’m about to embarrass myself” Every time I was called on in class, I was sure that I was about to embarrass myself. Every time I took a test, I was sure that it had gone badly. And every time I didn’t embarrass myself — or even excelled — I believed that I had fooled everyone yet again. One day soon, the jig would be up Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer, Facebook
- 10. Everybody else knows more than me” There are an awful lot of people out there who think I’m an expert. How do these people believe all this about me? I’m so much aware of all the things I don’t know. Margaret Chan, Director-General, World Health Organisation 2006-2017Margaret Chan, Director-General, World Health Organisation 2006-2017
- 11. Possible thoughts you could have….
- 12. Not necessarily the whole time… The beauty of the impostor syndrome is you vacillate between extreme egomania and a complete feeling of: “I’m a fraud! Oh God, they’re on to me! I’m a fraud!” Tina Fey
- 13. Who has it? A study conducted showed that people have to learn new concepts, break a bias suffer from this. While for some people, impostor syndrome can fuel feelings of motivation to achieve, this usually comes at a cost in the form of constant anxiety. You might over-prepare or work much harder than necessary to "make sure" that nobody finds out you are a fraud. The problem with impostor syndrome is that the experience of doing well at something does nothing to change your beliefs. Even though you might sail through a performance or have lunch with co-workers, the thought still nags in your head, "What gives me the right to be here?" The more you accomplish, the more you just feel like a fraud. It's as though you can't internalize your experiences of success.
- 14. What Impostor Syndrome does to you? Makes you miserable Inhibits your aspirations Makes you under-sell yourself Reduces others’ view of your capabilities Reduces your willingness to speak up in meetings and on paper Reduces your influence on outcomes Reduces your opportunities to find things out You have fewer opportunities for career advancement, new experiences
- 15. Why does it matter? – to the community Lose the benefit of the input of some of our best people Do not hear women’s voices as much as men’s Leave the field open to Dunning-Kruger people Image from Julie Pagano‘s It’s Dangerous to Go Alone: Battling the Invisible Monsters in Tech
- 16. Types of impostor syndrome The five types Leading imposter syndrome researcher Dr. Valerie Young describes five main types of imposters in her 2011 book “The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It.” These competence types, as she calls them, reflect your internal beliefs around what competency means to you. Here’s a closer look at each type and how they manifest.
- 17. The perfectionist You focus primarily on how you do things, often to the point where you demand perfection of yourself in every aspect of life. Yet, since perfection isn’t always a realistic goal, you can’t meet these standards. Instead of acknowledging the hard work you’ve put in after completing a task, you might criticize yourself for small mistakes and feel ashamed of your “failure.” You might even avoid trying new things if you believe you can’t do them perfectly the first time.
- 18. The natural genius You’ve spent your life picking up new skills with little effort and believe you should understand new material and processes right away. Your belief that competent people can handle anything with little difficulty leads you to feel like a fraud when you have a hard time. If something doesn’t come easily to you, or you fail to succeed on your first try, you might feel ashamed and embarrassed.
- 19. The rugged individualist (or soloist) You believe you should be able to handle everything solo. If you can’t achieve success independently, you consider yourself unworthy. Asking someone for help, or accepting support when it’s offered, doesn’t just mean failing your own high standards. It also means admitting your inadequacies and showing yourself as a failure.
- 20. The Expert Before you can consider your work a success, you want to learn everything there is to know on the topic. You might spend so much time pursuing your quest for more information that you end up having to devote more time to your main task. Since you believe you should have all the answers, you might consider yourself a fraud or failure when you can’t answer a question or encounter some knowledge you previously missed.
- 21. The superhero You link competence to your ability to succeed in every role you hold: student, friend, employee, or parent. Failing to successfully navigate the demands of these roles simply proves, in your opinion, your inadequacy. To succeed, then, you push yourself to the limit, expending as much energy as possible in every role. Still, even this maximum effort may not resolve your imposter feelings. You might think, “I should be able to do more,” or “This should be easier.”
- 22. Characteristics of Imposter Syndrome • Some of the common signs of imposter syndrome include: • An inability to realistically assess your competence and skills • Attributing your success to external factors • Berating your performance • Fear that you won't live up to expectations • Overachieving • Sabotaging your own success • Self-doubt • Setting very challenging goals and feeling disappointed when you fall short
- 23. Triggers of the impostor… • Parenting and childhood environment • You might develop imposter feelings if your parents: • pressured you to do well in school • compared you to your sibling(s) • were controlling or overprotective • emphasized your natural intelligence • sharply criticized mistakes
- 24. Triggers of the impostor… Personality traits Experts have linked specific personality traits to imposter feelings. These include: • perfectionistic tendencies • low self-efficacy, or confidence in your ability to manage your behavior and successfully handle your responsibilities • higher scores on measures of neuroticism, a big five personality trait • lower scores on measures of conscientiousness, another big five trait
- 25. Triggers of the impostor… • Existing mental health symptoms • New responsibilities • The role of bias: Along with the above factors, gender bias and institutionalized racism can also play a significant part in imposter feelings. ResearchTrusted Source consistently suggests that while, yes, anyone can experience these feelings, they tend to show up more often in women and people of color. In other words: people who generally have less representation in professional environments.
- 26. How to deal with? Working harder? Nope, it won’t solve the problem. We would be looking at strategies that can help you resolve impostor productively Acknowledge your feelings. Build connections. Challenge your doubts. Avoid comparing yourself to others. Learn to appreciate and celebrate your little wins. Stop talking down on compliments, absorb them and hype yourself a little.
- 27. How to deal with? • Be gritty: Grit is having passion and perseverance for achieving long term goals. Grit is sticking, staying with your future day in and out, living life like a marathon and not a sprint. • Have a growth mindset : A growth mindset is the belief that the ability to learn is not fixed and it can change with your effort. Learning that the brain changes with new information. Always know your abilities are capable of growth. The staying power in consistency can not be over- emphasized. • Power of Yet: Always know that you can’t know everything and for whatever you decide to learn and build will take time. Having the yet mindset rather calling yourself a failure will be of help.
- 28. The bottom line Success doesn’t require perfection. True perfection is practically impossible, so failing to achieve it doesn’t make you a fraud. Offering yourself kindness and compassion instead of judgment and self-doubt can help you maintain a realistic perspective and motivate you to pursue healthy self-growth.
- 29. THANK YOU! Thanks for listening Thanks! Thanks!