Impostor Syndrome: A CBT perspective on the modern methods to overcome it

Impostor syndrome you may know the term or If you have ever felt like an impostor, you are not alone. In fact, according to a recent study by the Harvard Business Review, more than half of the people surveyed said they feel this way at least sometimes. Then there is meta-research which shows that the prevalence can go as high as 82% depending on the context of the survey. 

This post explores impostor syndrome, how it affects you and your work, and how to overcome it.

What is impostor syndrome?

Impostor syndrome — the conviction that your success is only thanks to chance rather than ability or qualification — was first described in 1978 by the psychologist Pauline Clance and the organizational consultant Susanne Cook. In their paper authors of the study suggest that this phenomenon is more common among women, especially women in creative fields. However, Clance later found that this was not entirely correct. 

Now the term imposter syndrome applies to anyone “who isn’t able to internalize and own their successes,” says psychologist Audrey Ervin.

Three characteristics distinguish imposter syndrome. (Rule of three)

1. The belief that others have overvalued your skills.
2. Apprehension that people may learn your actual shortcomings
3. A continuous desire to attribute achievement to external sources such as chance or undue effort.

The impostor cycle

These thoughts and feelings were put together in an “impostor cycle.” When a person is faced with an achievement-related activity, they suffer anxiety, self-doubt, and stress, leading to over-preparation or procrastination (or both). If the work is completed, it is frequently credited to great effort (with over-preparation) or chance (with procrastination). When a person does something, they feel relieved and are more likely to receive positive feedback. However, such input is frequently ignored, resulting in long-term sentiments of apparent fraudulence, self-doubt, despair, or worry.

Five types of impostor syndrome patterns

While there is a test devised to identify impostor syndrome, you can start by noticing your thinking patterns. The current expert on Impostor Syndrome and author of the book “The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women,” Dr. Valerie Young, has described the following five patterns of impostor-ism

1. “Perfectionists” impose excessively high standards for themselves, and even if they achieve 99 percent of their objectives, they will feel like failures. Any minor misstep will cause them to doubt their abilities.
2. “Experts” need to learn every bit of knowledge before beginning a project, and they are continually on the lookout for new certifications or training to better their abilities. They will not apply for a job if they do not satisfy all of the requirements listed in the job advertisement. Experts may be hesitant to ask a question in class or speak up in a work meeting because they are frightened of appearing foolish if they do not already know the answer.
3. “Natural genius,” thinks everything has to be effortless. So when they need to struggle or work hard to accomplish something, they think this indicates that they aren’t good enough. They’re used to talents flowing naturally, and when they have to work hard, their brain tells them that’s proof they’re a fraud.
4. “Soloists” think they must do tasks independently and that asking for help implies they are a failure or a phony.
5. To prove that they are not imposters, “supermen” or “superwomen” push themselves to work harder than those around them. They have a strong desire to succeed in all parts of their lives—at work, as parents, and as partners—and may get stressed if they do not achieve their goals.

Despite all this, it is also noteworthy that Imposter syndrome is not (yet?) a medical diagnosis.

What can I do about my impostor syndrome?

Dr. Valerie young originally described ten steps to overcome impostor syndrome. You can read all about them in this article if you wish. However, decades later, her single advice now is, “The only way to stop feeling like an impostor is to stop thinking like an impostor.” 

The only way to stop feeling like an impostor is to stop thinking like an impostor.

Dr Valerie Young

This is easier said than done, but don’t despair. This is where Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can be of great help. CBT is based on restructuring your mind’s thinking processes, which have grown skewed over time and now churn you into a vicious cycle of incorrect thinking and dysfunctional behavior. Restructuring the thinking processes, in turn, influences your self-esteem and attitude, as well as influences you to change your behavior.

In other words, CBT can help you start thinking like a non-impostor. However, CBT is not merely positive self-talk where you are told to remind yourself with affirmations like “You can” “you deserve.” I put this kind of self-talk in the realm of TOXIC POSITIVITY – something to be avoided.

If you are somewhat CBT literate, then what we need to do is to properly “dispute” our dysfunctional thoughts. The general steps to dispute a thought are 

Identify your thoughts

Take note: what precise words are running through your thoughts the next time you sense inadequacy creeping up on you? Some thinking may go something like this:

“I just got fortunate with this client.”

“I can’t do it since I don’t have the necessary experience.”

“Everyone else in the industry is more talented than I am.”

“I’m not intelligent enough to learn to code.”

“Someone at work will figure out that I don’t know what I’m talking about.”

Dispute your thoughts – evaluate them in terms of logic, factual accuracy, and practical value

A CBT therapist often uses what is known as Socratic questions for disputing. Socratic questions are a series of focused but open questions which make the clients introspect and come up with answers to their problems rather than the therapist telling them what to do. For example: 

Was it just a stroke of luck that helped you get this client? The client was impressed by your portfolio and work experience. 

How do you know you are not intelligent enough to learn to code? How many hours have you put in?

What is the worst possible thing that could happen if they find out you don’t know some aspects of what you are supposed to? 

Reframe them to be more functional and pragmatic

 Functional and pragmatic thoughts are flexible rather than rigid. So continuing from the examples above:

If I did get lucky with this client, he wouldn’t be so happy with the ongoing work. 

Yes, it is possible that a few people may make fun of me or talk about my supposed lack of skills, but it is unlikely that all of them will speak the same way.

If I really do learn that there are things I don’t know, I can use it as an opportunity to learn. 

Three domains of impostor thinking

Sometimes, disputing would be enough for others; you may need to dig deeper. Again according to Dr. Valerie Young, the thinking in impostor syndrome falls into three specific categories: 

• Competence
• Failure (which includes mistakes and criticism)
• Fear

Non-impostors accept that there will be occasions when they must struggle to grasp something or acquire a new skill. However, they are unconcerned because they understand that the more we do, the better we will become.

Non-impostors are not perfectionists. 

Non-impostors regard feedback as a gift rather than being humiliated by constructive criticism. They deliberately seek feedback because they understand that is the only way to improve.

Non-impostors, like impostors, are driven to improve continuously. But not for fear of being discovered, but because they consider themselves a perpetual work in progress.

Does that mean that non-impostors never experience any negative emotions?

If they don’t get a job/promotion, or don’t win a competition, or get a client, they do get disappointed, maybe even heartbroken (Read as severely disappointed), BUT they are not ashamed. Impostors experience shame – they want to remove themselves from the gaze of others. They overestimate the negative impact of the situation. Non-impostors, even though disappointed, continue to participate in social interactions and are more self-compassionate.

When non-impostors are faced with a new challenge, they do get nervous; in fact, they expect to get a bit nervous as a normal part of being human and tackle the challenge anyways. 

On the other hand, Impostors let their anxiety rule them and often procrastinate. 

In other words, non-impostors experience what are called as healthy negative emotions. (maybe a separate blog post on healthy negative emotions later)

Additional tips to overcome impostor syndrome

The Friend question: Answer this question, if your best friend came up to you and confessed to the same feelings of impostorism as you, what would you tell them, specifically would you be as hard on them as you are on yourself? 

Behavioral Experiments: If doing all that is said above right away seems too daunting, then adopt a role of a scientist to verify if these techniques work for you or not. Start by selecting the least intimidating situation and choose a technique to practice. Write down what your thoughts are. Then test out the technique and record the outcome. Did the worst-case scenario come true? Keep doing these as a series of experiments, and you will start feeling more and more confident about using the techniques on the fly in real life. 

Reward yourself: You have been beating yourself for the way you are feeling and thinking, has it worked? Most likely, nay, certainly not! Time to try something new – start rewarding yourself appropriately whenever you do manage to overcome impostorism. 

Fake it till you make it: I have deliberately kept this at the last as it can be a double-edged sword. Faking it will help you get started BUT can also keep you stuck in the impostor thinking. So be sure to reframe your thinking every time you succeeded when you faked it. 

Talk to a CBT Therapist

Therapists are not just for disorders. A therapist can help you ease the process by providing structured help, which otherwise you will have to piece together on your own. One of my specialties is helping my clients overcome impostor syndrome in 1 to 1 session. If you are not yet ready to book a session and want to know more, we can do so over a virtual coffee. I will be happy to answer all your questions. 

Conclusion

Is it possible to eliminate impostor syndrome? I will contend that you can, given the right approach and patience. The only way to stop feeling like an impostor is to stop thinking like an impostor. CBT can help you with that.

References : Bravata DM, Watts SA, Keefer AL, et al. Prevalence, Predictors, and Treatment of Impostor Syndrome: a Systematic Review. J Gen Intern Med. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7174434/  Clance, P.R. (1985). The impostor phenomenon: Overcoming the fear that haunts your success (p. 25). Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers. Sakulku, J. & Alexander, J. (2011). The imposter phenomenon. International Journal of Behavioral Science, 6(1), 73-92.