By: MJ Gonzales | Executive Chronicles
“With great power comes great responsibility.” This was an iconic dialogue in Spiderman film franchise, which still relevant today. It is because despite of uncountable heroic deeds, many are still can’t manage or in doubt of their capabilities. Is it because of impostor syndrome?
The Impostor syndrome or Impostor phenomenon is the term used by Clinical Psychologist Dr. Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes to describe people doubting that their achievements are results of their natural skills or talents.
“Even though they are often very successful by external standards, they feel their success has been due to some mysterious fluke or luck or great effort; they are afraid their achievements are due to “breaks” …” Dr. Clance explained on her personal website. “They are also pretty certain that, unless they go to gargantuan efforts to do so, success cannot be repeated. They are afraid that next time, I will blow it.”
The syndrome is daunting because the persons who suffer from it don’t only struggling the fact, but also feel they’re fraud. They also have fear that what if other people find out they’re not someone they expect. In effect, they may strive harder to prove that their competent.
“They feel that they’ve somehow managed to slip through the system undetected [so] in their mind it’s just a matter of time before they’re found out,” Impostorism expert Dr Valerie Young shared with BBC.
To counter the consequences, the author of “The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer From the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive In Spite of It” also advised to become open about the issue. She added that it’s good to develop good mindset gradually, fight your inner fraud police, take risk, and think you’re survivor.
On the other hand, impostor syndrome is helpful in a way to tame the egoistic in you or at least to feel humble. Even A-list celebrities like Tina Fey, Emma Watson, and Kate Winslet also admittedly or may experience this.
“The beauty of the impostor syndrome is you vacillate between extreme egomania and a complete feeling of: ‘I’m a fraud! Oh God, they’re on to me! I’m a fraud!’ So you just try to ride the egomania when it comes and enjoy it, and then slide through the idea of fraud,” Fey confided in Young’s book.
Young shared that mostly women suffer from impostor syndrome and everyone is prone to have it.
