Impostor Syndrome: Definition, Symptoms and Tips on How to Fight It
Actually, it’s really something nice, his Goals to achieve and one job to make that not only Fun makes, but also suits you. You can be proud of yourself, right? Unfortunately, that’s not the case for everyone. Affected of the so-called impostor syndrome are miles away from patting yourself on the back and saying: hey, you really deserve this! Instead, she is plagued by the feeling of a:e Impostor: in to be and actually not doing a particularly good job. The feeling of being successful or just lucky is much more predominant. Here you can find out why so many people feel the same way, how impostor syndrome makes itself felt and what you can do to believe in yourself more again.
Impostor Syndrome: Am I an imposter?
The easiest way to explain what Impostor Syndrome is all about is to first translate the whole thing into German. In German one would say the impostor syndrome “impostor phenomenon”. “Impostor” means something like “Impostor:in” and denotes someone who has stolen his/her successes through cunning and luck. Those affected boast about achievements that they themselves did not achieve in order to put themselves in the best light. Although they don’t really deserve it, they want to work their way up the ladder – preferably as easily and quickly as possible.
Those affected by impostor syndrome feel like imposters, even though they are not. They themselves do not understand how they have come this far, question their own achievements in great detail and believe that their successes and achievements are due to pure luck. You feel out of place, have self-doubt and usually don’t treat themselves to anything – after all, in their eyes, they haven’t worked as hard towards it as others.
These symptoms are a warning sign of impostor syndrome
People who are affected by impostor syndrome usually show the same symptoms, which they mostly keep to themselves and thus keep boiling over and over again. Basically, low or shaky self-confidence plays a major role. After all, you don’t trust yourself to really deserve the job, the praise or the promotion. It is therefore very difficult for those affected to recognize their own achievements and to be proud of themselves.
The fear that other fellow human beings could get wind of their own alleged incompetence and trumpet it out is also very great in people with the imposter phenomenon. To prevent this, many avoid social contact and distance themselves from their surroundings.
Sentences like “How am I supposed to manage that anyway?”, “What am I doing here anyway?”, or “When will it be found out that I don’t belong here?”, people with impostor syndrome regularly hear in their heads. They are guided by fear and self-doubt, so that in the worst case even sleep disorders, depression or other mental illnesses can be the result.
These could be the causes of your low self-confidence
There is no definite cause for the low self-esteem that comes with impostor syndrome. There are several factors that can favor the whole thing. Women in particular often struggle with this. Above all, there are experiences in childhood, usually through a toxic upbringing of the parents, which contributes to this. If we learn early on to keep our self-esteem low, not to brag about our achievements, and never to be satisfied with ourselves, we still struggle with it as adults. We were taught from an early age: your performance tells you how much you are worth. No matter how hard you try, you are not enough. Toxic beliefs that we don’t get rid of so quickly and that control our subconscious.