Imposter Syndrome

~ sparedbygrace@yahoo.com

What Is Impostor Syndrome?

Impostor syndrome—or, more precisely, the impostor phenomenon—is remarkably ubiquitous. One might jokingly describe it as “the cockroach of cultural phenomena—you find it everywhere.” The point is that feelings of inadequacy and fraudulence are extraordinarily common, even among people who appear highly competent and successful.

A 2020 review by Bravata and colleagues reported that estimates of impostor phenomenon have been remarkably, and perhaps unsurprisingly high. Some studies have suggested that up to 82% of people experience feelings associated with  “impostorism”. The phenomenon is therefore hardly restricted to a small group of psychologically insecure individuals.

To a degree, impostor feelings are universal. For some, they may be temporary; for others, they may be persistent and difficult to change. Starting a new job, accepting a promotion, entering graduate school, taking on a leadership role, speaking before an audience, or simply being surrounded by people who seem more accomplished can trigger the uncomfortable thought, “What am I doing here? Eventually, they will discover that I do not really belong.”

Thus, for many people impostor feelings become more persistent and consequential. Instead of being an occasional uncomfortable emotion, they begin to interfere with functioning. They can contribute to anxiety, depression, excessive risk aversion, professional dissatisfaction, even burnout. The person may be objectively competent while subjectively convinced that competence is an illusion.

That is one of the paradoxes of impostor syndrome: the evidence and the experience do not match.

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Published by sparedbygrace@yahoo.com

I am Richard Brewer—a Christ-follower, psychologist, husband, father, grandfather (Papa) sometimes writer, and lifelong student of people. For much of my professional life, I've had the privilege of sitting with people as they wrestle with some of life's most difficult questions—questions about faith, suffering, grief, relationships, identity, failure, hope, and what it means to live well. Those conversations have changed the way I see people and the way I understand my own faith. They have taught me that life is rarely as simple as our explanations of it, that people are almost always more complicated than they appear, and that sometimes the wisest response to a difficult question is to empathize and to keep asking better questions. I am a committed Christ-follower, but I am not interested in pretending that Christianity eliminates mystery or that faith means having an answer for everything. Faith invites us to pursue truth honestly, to think deeply, to acknowledge what we do not know, and ultimately to trust the God we do know. Mediocre Meanderings is where I explore some of those questions. I write about faith and psychology, grief and suffering, leadership and relationships, aging and ordinary life—and occasionally whatever else catches my attention along the way. I do not write from the perspective of someone who has figured life out. I write as someone who has lived enough of it to know that I have not. These are my thoughts, questions, observations, and occasional attempts at wisdom. Take what is useful. Challenge what is not. And, if you would like, meander along with me.