Imposter Syndrome - What is it? Is it real? How does it effect people?
Y’all, I know that I've been MIA for a little over a month now, but I'm back, and I've got something important that I want to share with you today!
Drum roll please......its Imposter Syndrome!
You might be asking yourself what is imposter syndrome? If you were like me, and hadn't heard of it before, it sounds totally fictitious. So before we get into my personal bout with imposter syndrome, I want to provide some information on what imposter syndrome actually is.
The American Pscyhological Association (APA) states that imposter syndrome was "first described by psychologists Suzanne Imes, PhD, and Pauline Rose Clance, PhD, in the 1970s" and that "impostor [syndrome] occurs among high achievers who are unable to internalize and accept their success. They often attribute their accomplishments to luck rather than to ability, and fear that others will eventually unmask them as a fraud." I think that it's important to also note that the APA makes sure to mention that "impostor [syndrome] isn't an official diagnosis listed in the DSM," and that "psychologists and others acknowledge that it is a very real and specific form of intellectual self-doubt. Impostor feelings are generally accompanied by anxiety and, often, depression." (If you're interested in reading the full article, you can do so here.)
Okay, so now that we've established the origins, the definition, and the company that imposter syndrome can bring along with it, I'd like to add that I believe that imposter syndrome isn't strictly limited to "high achievers," but can happen to anyone.
When I first found out imposter syndrome I was blown away that my feelings had been put into actual words. I had been experiencing those feelings when I first started teaching (for those of you that don't know, I am an adjunct professor at a local community college), and they only intensified when my position at my full-time job was eliminated and all I was doing was teaching.
All I could think of were things like there's no way I'm qualified to be doing this and why did they hire me?
About a month ago, just after my college's spring break I went to a debriefing meeting with the full time faculty member who conducted my teaching evaluation (this was before spring break) and I was totally floored by what she had to say.
Not only did she tell me that she was completely impressed by the midterm review game that I had created for my students, but she had so many more positive things to say, too! She told me that she loved my teaching style and pedagogy, my ability to engage my students in active learning, the way I had organized questions to fit Bloom’s Taxonomy, and how I redirected students when they got the answer to a question wrong.
She also told me that she was totally amazed at the information and subjects I had chose to present in my class; she said that it was like receiving graduate level information in an undergraduate format that was still really easy to understand.
I went into this meeting expecting the absolute worst (because for the longest time I just thought that that’s just who I am and what I do), and I left this meeting feeling empowered and with a renewed faith in myself.
Never in a million years did I think that I would be hired as a professor at just 24 years old, but here I am at 26 still doing it and apparently succeeding at it.
So the moral of this story? Don't let imposter syndrome cloud your perception. I know that it can be hard, trust me--I've been there--but once you get past your intense self-doubt, you can start to see what others see in you!
Drum roll please......its Imposter Syndrome!
You might be asking yourself what is imposter syndrome? If you were like me, and hadn't heard of it before, it sounds totally fictitious. So before we get into my personal bout with imposter syndrome, I want to provide some information on what imposter syndrome actually is.
The American Pscyhological Association (APA) states that imposter syndrome was "first described by psychologists Suzanne Imes, PhD, and Pauline Rose Clance, PhD, in the 1970s" and that "impostor [syndrome] occurs among high achievers who are unable to internalize and accept their success. They often attribute their accomplishments to luck rather than to ability, and fear that others will eventually unmask them as a fraud." I think that it's important to also note that the APA makes sure to mention that "impostor [syndrome] isn't an official diagnosis listed in the DSM," and that "psychologists and others acknowledge that it is a very real and specific form of intellectual self-doubt. Impostor feelings are generally accompanied by anxiety and, often, depression." (If you're interested in reading the full article, you can do so here.)
Okay, so now that we've established the origins, the definition, and the company that imposter syndrome can bring along with it, I'd like to add that I believe that imposter syndrome isn't strictly limited to "high achievers," but can happen to anyone.
When I first found out imposter syndrome I was blown away that my feelings had been put into actual words. I had been experiencing those feelings when I first started teaching (for those of you that don't know, I am an adjunct professor at a local community college), and they only intensified when my position at my full-time job was eliminated and all I was doing was teaching.
All I could think of were things like there's no way I'm qualified to be doing this and why did they hire me?
About a month ago, just after my college's spring break I went to a debriefing meeting with the full time faculty member who conducted my teaching evaluation (this was before spring break) and I was totally floored by what she had to say.
Not only did she tell me that she was completely impressed by the midterm review game that I had created for my students, but she had so many more positive things to say, too! She told me that she loved my teaching style and pedagogy, my ability to engage my students in active learning, the way I had organized questions to fit Bloom’s Taxonomy, and how I redirected students when they got the answer to a question wrong.
She also told me that she was totally amazed at the information and subjects I had chose to present in my class; she said that it was like receiving graduate level information in an undergraduate format that was still really easy to understand.
I went into this meeting expecting the absolute worst (because for the longest time I just thought that that’s just who I am and what I do), and I left this meeting feeling empowered and with a renewed faith in myself.
Never in a million years did I think that I would be hired as a professor at just 24 years old, but here I am at 26 still doing it and apparently succeeding at it.
So the moral of this story? Don't let imposter syndrome cloud your perception. I know that it can be hard, trust me--I've been there--but once you get past your intense self-doubt, you can start to see what others see in you!
Until next time,
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