The sense of insecurity is considered normal, especially when we face a challenge or a new situation that we cannot control, after a while, when we are used to this situation, we fail, we learn from our mistakes and we grow, gaining more and more. more security, to a point where we are really aware that we are experts in the field.
In imposter syndrome this does not happen, even if the person is an expert in a certain field, someone who has accumulated great achievements throughout his life, is revered by others, is able to develop his work with great professionalism, continues to live a deep insecurity.
- These people are unable to assume that they owe success to themselves.
- To their own intelligence and that they really deserve it.
- On the contrary.
- They tend to believe that everything they have is due to a series of strokes of luck or external factors.
It’s not a false modesty, they don’t really see themselves as successful people, in fact, many think they’re cheating on their clients or patients, as an imposter would, they don’t believe in their abilities, they don’t feel competent, although the evidence says otherwise.
There are some factors that can explain why some people feel stranded or “never up to the task. “It was Dr. Valeria Young, an expert in the field, who suggested some of these possible causes:
If, in your childhood or youth, you felt that your parents were pressuring you to get the highest grades or compared you to one of your siblings, a classmate, or someone who seemed smarter than you, today you probably feel incompetent even though they’re not, or feel the need to go further than you are now.
Now we know that stereotypes also affect men and women, but a few years ago they were more common among women, it was believed that they affected women because of the messages they received, which spoke of the success of men and the failure of women. from the pressure of society to perfect women by playing multiple roles at the same time, without forgiving or understanding a failure in any of them.
Women often feel they have no right to succeed because it is something reserved for men.
When we don’t get paid fairly for our work, we think it’s because we’re not as competent as we should be and that’s why we’re not rewarded. Women have over time suffered the gender pay gap and this has resulted in a lack of professional valuation.
Are people with imposter syndrome perfectionists and extremely demanding of themselves. Very high goals are set that are difficult for anyone to achieve, regardless of their ability. Therefore, they often think that they are mediocre in what they do, when they actually distort reality: they are very competent, what happens is that they are not perfect, and they are not even able to adjust their goals.
These exaggerated expectations and demands are due to low self-esteem and lack of personal assessment, two factors that are reinforced, on several occasions, by the envy of peers or by some derogatory comments they have suffered during the school period or professional internship.
Imposter syndrome is the syndrome of insecurity, so as never to feel up to the circumstances, the person considers himself someone who does not deserve his achievements, his praises or his successes, and that if others discover how incompetent he is, they will call him imposter His opposite can be found in Dunning-Kruger syndrome, when truly ignorant people even ignore their own ignorance.
It is curious how this insecurity disguised as extreme perfectionism can ultimately lead to the realization of what we fear most: failure. And yet less competent people who believe in themselves and have more confidence succeed.
Therefore, to overcome imposter syndrome the first step is to believe in ourselves, the key is self-knowledge, knowing what we are capable of and where our limits are, we have to trust ourselves knowing that we can often be wrong.
You should also start accepting and appreciating your successes and accomplishments, don’t underestimate yourself, if you don’t appreciate what you’re doing, who will?Thank you every time you receive a compliment and make it a motivation and reinforcement for the future. .
Don’t leave anything for tomorrow. People with this syndrome often postpone their tasks out of fear of failure, are never satisfied with their work, and this dissatisfaction results in a lack of motivation, including anxiety or depression.
As you can see, even the best performers often feel inadequate and insecure. The key is not to be a successful person, but to accept yourself unconditionally. Only then can we get where we want to go, and if we don’t, we can understand why that’s not the case.