What is Imposter Syndrome?
Ever feel fraudulent in your job role? Waiting and feeling like your abilities and achievements are about to be called out? I do, I sense this as I write this very article, waiting for the blinking cursor to call out “imposter!” As I wait to be called out on my lack of writing ability and my dwindling knowledge of philosophers, I place the term imposter syndrome onto this feeling.
While some individuals are waiting for that fraudulent call, they hold the mentality of “I know that I know nothing” – as the Socratic saying goes. This mentality makes people feel invincible as they are overtly aware of their ignorance compared to their counterparts, and in comparison, to their colleagues who are not aware that they know nothing, they are already victorious.
Yet, there is more to play than knowing you know nothing. Instead, being aware and feeling like an imposter is a paradigm shift to knowing it as a case of self-deception. In fact, this self-deception holds high utility to succeed, even though you feel like an outcast.
Imposter Syndrome as a Case of Self-Deception
With that said, I will briefly explain Stephen Gadsby’s account of imposter syndrome being a case of self-deception. Firstly, Gadsby argues people with imposter syndrome deceives themselves by downplaying their abilities as they have a fervent desire to succeed.
For instance, someone who receives a good grade in their latest assignment would attribute their results as a simple case of an easy assignment.
Then, they take this mentality as the driving force to revise smarter and harder to out-do their current score.
Secondly, to climb the career ladder or progress in your role, considerable effort if required.
It is perfectly acceptable to sense that you are not the smartest or the most intuitive amongst the workplace but knowing you want to succeed and displaying effort will produce high rewards.
In fact, Gadsby goes one further and argues the third precondition of imposter syndrome being self-deception is that:
Effort can substitute ability.
Often many say to be optimistic and positive about your ability, that will get you where you need to be. To a degree, that is true; however, interestingly Gadsby states having a negative reference point is a motivator to success.
Your focal motivational point is the negative self-appraisal.
For example, a CEO holds that title as she is the cleverest woman in the company, but she attributes her successes to believing that her prior achievements were an instance of luck. Simply put, she was in the right place at the right time. This reasoning allows her to continue putting effort into her work and in turn causes her to succeed.
In closing,
“You can’t count on someone else to give you self-confidence.”
Michelle Obama
… but use the negative self-appraisal and your desire to succeed to amplify the efforts you put into the world.
Key takeaways for having imposter syndrome:
- Imposter syndrome is not something that needs to be overcome.
- Knowing imposter syndrome is self-deception.
- Downplaying your abilities is the catalyst to success.
- Place yourself in situations where you believe you can succeed.
- Find situations where you are willing to put in considerable effort.
- Set your motivational focal point to be negative self-appraisal.