In May 2016, I sat on a panel with an esteemed group of Black professional women during a health symposium sponsored by the group Black Women Stirring the Waters. I made a statement then, and which, I still stand behind: “I do not subscribe to the notion of Imposter Syndrome.” I take issue with that statement then as I do now.
I was first introduced to that statement in 2016/17 while working as a behavioral health provider for a large organization. One of the employees sat in my chair and discussed his feeling like an imposter at work. In subsequent weeks, several other employees were using the same phrase. I was taken aback as these employees, in my opinion, were all highly skilled, qualified individuals, who performed their roles well. I soon learned that as a team, they were asked to read an article on “Imposter Syndrome” and since then, a number of them had identified themselves as struggling with “Imposter Syndrome.”
The term Imposter Phenomenon was coined in 1978 by psychologists Drs. Pauline Clance & Suzanne Imes in their article “The Imposter Phenomenon In High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention.” They described the imposter phenomenon as “an internal experience of intellectual phoniness” which they observed in their sample study of successful women.1 Chance wrote that in her own experience, she struggled with self-doubt even though she excelled academically, and in 1985 published the book “The Impostor Phenomenon” releasing an “I.P. Scale” for use by researchers. While the term has been changed over time to “Imposter Syndrome”, it is important to note that Innes has since claimed that the term itself is conceptually misleading.
Fast forward to 2024 and I am still hearing and seeing intelligent, skilled people question their position in life, in their jobs, and even their identities.
So what is “Imposter Syndrome”? Is it more a question of self-doubt connected to self-worth? Is it one’s struggle to understand “who I am”? If you're able to answer the question “Who am I?”, does the feeling of Imposter Syndrome still hold? What if you can understand that there's a difference, and connection, between self-esteem, self-worth, and self-respect? And that these three play a role in our sense of self and our identity- Who I am.
I propose that imposter syndrome is merely a question of one’s self-worth. It often comes in the form of self-doubt- doubting that one is “good enough”. What if you were to see your current struggle as a momentary feeling, such as a feeling of fear? Understanding that feelings are valid and powerful and that they can shape the stories we tell ourselves such as “I am an imposter”. What if you work on changing that narrative by reminding yourself that you are good enough just as you are?
What about the intersection of race, gender, ethnicity, able body, etc., and the concept of Imposter Syndrome in the work setting and life? Can we change the narrative by reviewing the working environment or the current life circumstance and asking ourselves what about this environment makes me feel like an imposter? Realizing that it might not be me or my skill sets that are the problem. Maybe I am in environments or relationships that do not align with who I am or where I am in my current developmental stage.
Remember, you can experience self-doubt, and you don't have to wear it as an identity or perceive yourself as an "imposter." For example, there is a difference between "feeling bitter" and "being bitter." One is a feeling, while the other is an attitude/identity.
Read next month’s blog when we discuss the connection and difference between self-esteem, self-worth, and self-respect, and how they can relate to “Imposter Syndrome.”
Remember, you can experience self-doubt, and you don't have to wear it as an identity or perceive yourself as an "imposter." For example, there is a difference between "feeling bitter" and "being bitter." One is a feeling, while the other is an attitude/identity.
Read next month’s blog when we discuss the connection and difference between self-esteem, self-worth, and self-respect, and how they can relate to “Imposter Syndrome.”
With love and care,
Dr. C
1The sample was primarily white middle to upper-class women ages 20-45.
Reference
1) Clance, Pauline R., and Suzanne A. Imes. “The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention.” Psychotherapy (Chicago, Ill.), vol. 15, no. 3, (1978), pp. 241–47, https://doi.org/10.1037/h0086006.
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