What is imposter what is, causes, symptoms and how to overcome it

A recent study states that 70% of people experience at least one episode of the imposter syndrome throughout their lives. ¿You wonder why precisely you have been hired and have obtained unexpected responsibilities and of great relevance at work? ¿You are ashamed to receive appreciation from others and, in fact, you will tend to belit? You are in good company.

Many of us share a little secret that we are ashamed: in the back. ¿Because? ¿What is this attitude born? ¿How to recognize and make peace with our merits? In this psychology-online article we will try to answer these questions to better understand What is the imposter syndrome, its causes, symptoms and how to overcome it.

1. What is the imposter syndrome
2. Causes of the Importor Syndrome
3. Importor syndrome symptoms
4. How to overcome the Importor Syndrome

What is the imposter syndrome

The term "Importor Syndrome" was coined in 1978 by two clinical psychologists, Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne to. IMES. Described in an article to this condition as a Interior experience of intellectual falsehood that afflicts some great success. Indeed, the article spoke of a group of student women and professionals who, despite their successes, could not internalize a sense of themselves as competent.

¿Why is the imposter syndrome? This psychological phenomenon is manifested precisely by the inability to internalize the results obtained and for the fear that the alleged fraud that would originate them is exposed. The people who suffer are convinced of being false and Do not deserve success They have achieved.

All proof of its merit is devalued and set aside as the result of having found in the right place at the right time or, rather, of having fraudulently induced others to consider them more intelligent and competent than they really are.

Clance and IMES argue that the characteristics of the impostor syndrome are as follows:

• Conviction that others have a Exaggerated conception of capacities o Subject competences.
• Fear of being discovered and denounced as scammers.
• Attribute success to external factors, Like luck or an extraordinary level of hard work.

Subsequent investigations have shown that the phenomenon occurs in many people who have higher training and perform high -level functions in various fields, such as education, health and finance.

Causes of the Importor Syndrome

There is not a single trigger. Some experts believe one of the causes of the impostor syndrome are the personality traits, more or less brought to anxiety. Others, on the other hand, focus on behavioral causes, how to grow with critical parents or compete with a brother or sister. Even feeling that you do not belong to a community can help determine reducing thoughts on itself.

The impostor syndrome has been associated with the following psychological characteristics:

• Introversion.
• Sudden anxiety.
• Low self-esteem.
• Shame.
• Conflictive family experiences.
• Scarce emotional support.
• High self -control.

Another cause of the impostor syndrome is mainly motivated by the desire to demonstrate one's intelligence. When this fails because an error has been made, it feels helpless, avoidance of the task, feeling of guilt towards oneself, anxiety and shame.

Importor syndrome symptoms

The symptoms of the imposter syndrome include often concerns, depressive feelings and anxiety. Generally, they are due to the pressure of having to show out the best image of himself and the fear of being discovered as incompetent. Let's see what are the main symptoms of the imposter syndrome.

• Fear to fail.
• Internal negative dialogue.
• Obsession with the errors of the past.
• Feeling of incompetence and doubts about their abilities.
• Fear of being exposed as an impostor.
• Trend to perfectionism.
• Exaggeration in the preparation of anything.

This phenomenon is usually accompanied by excessive concerns, depression and anxiety that derive from the stress to which the person undergoes to always be at the height of their success image and avoid being labeled as unworthy or incompetent.

How to overcome the Importor Syndrome

The imposter syndrome summarizes in itself an emotional weight that to overcome requires reasoning and self -analysis, since it can lead the subject to have psychological difficulties in several fields of life. This syndrome can lead to anxiety or depression disorders and personality disorders that avoid or depend.

Thus, to overcome the impostor syndrome you have to follow the following steps:

1. Change perspective: First of all, you have to learn to recognize the "voice" when it manifests. Usually, this happens when we face something new and we are tempted to question our skills. Sometimes, simply just observe the idea without "chopping" in the hook of limiting considerations. If it is difficult to resist the temptation to have this type of ideas, let's put things in perspective.
2. Look for a mentor: Sharing your mood with a major colleague or a trusted friend provides guarantees. Know that other people in the same situations have felt in the same way, help.
3. Train to failure: Thought modes are strengthened with use. As a paradoxical that seems, the impostor syndrome is fought by giving you the possibility of making mistakes. Reduces expectations to zero and diverts attention from the final result to the road to reach it: errors occur, but will be contextualized as part of the trip and not as a personal lack.
4. Change evaluation parameters: question external confirmations and refines the ability to give me merit. Establish your own self -assessment parameters feed a sense of confidence in yourself and redefine the standards of your own performance. Consider ourselves in our totality can be a way to identify talents and qualities that could enrich our curriculum.

Going to a psychotherapist will allow, through a attentive psychological evaluation, be aware of the operational mechanisms and dysfunctional thoughts themselves.

This article is merely informative, in psychology-online we have no power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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