Imposter Syndrome: What Is It?

Summary: Many are not aware of the term imposter syndrome and how this theory affects their attitude towards themselves in the workplace.

The term imposter syndrome has been taking a front seat in career discussions lately. Many people are probably unsure as to what the term means exactly.

Imposter syndrome is generally a bigger issue for women in high-paying and ambitious careers. They get the sense that they aren’t good enough for their jobs and have gotten to their current situation through luck or deception. Those that have this condition constantly fear being exposed as a fraud or as someone that is does not deserve to be in their current position even though their fears are not true.

Read The Highest Advancing Women Share Six Personality Traits to learn more.

Women tend to succumb to perfectionism more than their male counterparts, evident in their tendency to perform better in school and other aspects of life. However, women tend to get paid less for the same roles that men have. This statistic implies that a woman’s work is already worth less than a man’s, leading to their feeling of being underserving of their career.

Read Discreprancy Between Man and Woman’s Paychecks Leads to Lawsuit Against Employers to learn more.

Researchers call imposter syndrome part of the imposter cycle. This theory states that if you believe you are a fraud at work then you will start acting like one thus reinforcing your original belief that you are a fraud.

See Women Pioneered These Traditionally Male Jobs in the World.

Luckily there are ways to combat imposter syndrome with first identifying it as the problem.

Photo: linkedin.com