Written by: Paul A Cicchini, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
I was watching the 2022 Winter Olympics on TV when one of the announcers shared that an American downhill racer suffered from Imposter Syndrome. When he further elaborated on the symptoms of the disorder, I though, “Oh my gosh, I have that disease!” Are you suffering from the same condition as I am? Do you know the warning signs? Do you know how to cope with it? Do you even know what the syndrome is?
Imposter Syndrome was first identified by two psychologists, Clance and Imes back in 1978.
In their work, they asserted that some talented people operated under the belief that the only reason that they were successful was due to dumb luck and not qualifications. These people sometimes live under the misguided fear that someday their luck will run out and that their more qualified colleagues will discover that they are really incompetent frauds, quacks, etc. In short, that someone will ‘out’ them as imposters.
How do I know if I have Imposter Syndrome?
For me, this disease of self-confidence does not come from being an author. We writers are constantly being judged for our talent in turning a phrase. We live for the approval, the five-star rating, the sound bite from the gushing reviewer. We are by nature needy, insecure, and jealous of other writers’ talent.
It’s in my other career as a psychologist that my fears arise. When you walk out of graduate school as a school psychologist, you tend to feel supremely confident. You think you know it all. Then you start your practice and discover that there seems to be a teacher, parent, advocate, or teammate that questions your every decision. You may join a professional association of fellow psychologists and instead of feeling a ‘band of brothers (sisters/siblings/etc.)’ solidarity with them, it seems like around every corner there’s a psychologist who is better versed in the thousand or so assessment tools out there, or one who has published five books on learning disabilities, or one who was recognized as “psychologist of the year” because they live at school, have no social life and bring in homemade bran muffins to the staff every day.
Even after twenty years in this career I am still plagued by the notion that I might not be at the top of my game. Someone might come to me for answers, and I don’t know enough about restorative practices, school climate, trauma informed care, or some other ‘latest trend’ in the field. The truth of the matter is that I do know how to crunch data, my batting average on uncovering educational disabilities is way up there, and most of all I know how to help kids. That’s what matters most.
You may not be a school psychologist, but can you relate to some of these feelings in your own career. Do you feel like you are not smart enough at your job? Like any recognition that you get for a job well done is out of pity? That others deserve the promotion you got more than you? That someone, maybe even someone gunning for your job is going to uncover your inefficiencies or your mistakes, and that when they do all the cubicles will empty out and your co-workers will throw balled-up memos at you while you take the walk of shame down the hallway? Okay, that last one was a bit much, but you get the idea.
Imposter Syndrome, although it is not recognized yet as a true disorder in what we psychologists call the DSM—Diagnostic Statistical Manual, really does exist and it is often borne of an overactive imagination and an underactive sense of worth. If you think that you have it, it’s time for a reality check. Despite the opinions of some cynics, It rarely happens that people actually ‘fail up’. Sure, nepotism and favoritism occur but not as often as you think. You most likely earned that pay bump or the corner office. That “little fish in a big pond” feeling that you are experiencing? It’s perfectly normal. Remember that first day of high school? College? Yeah, it’s back but you can handle it the same way you did back then. Why is the cartoon, “Peanuts” so popular? Because we can all identify with Charlie Brown.
How do you cope with Imposter Syndrome?
Well first, stop being such a perfectionist. There, I said it. The quality that most applicants think is the interview-clincher is actually making you an angst-ridden mess. People make mistake. See? I just made a typo there to make my point. Here are some other ways to help you feel like you are deserving in your career:
Remind yourself that you do some things well and that you are the go-to person for those things at work. You have the right to be there.
Acknowledge that there are some things you are not good at, and somebody else has to be the point person for that part of the job.
Don’t beat yourself up for a mistake. At the same time, don’t hide it. Own up to it and fix it (see my article on integrity in the workplace).
Use positive imagery. I’m not going to bore you here with citations, but a famous study showed that college basketball players improved their free-throw percentages by “visualizing success.”
Have a someone who is your sounding board. It could be a mentor that give you guidance. Luke Skywalker was ready to quit until Yoda rapped him on the head. It could be a co-worker that can give you validation. Even Charlie Brown has Linus to help him muddle through. The point is, even if you are an introvert, don’t be a lone wolf at work. By making personal connections, you may finally rid yourself of the feelings of not belonging, and finally deserving of the praise you get.
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Paul A Cicchini, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Sir Paul Cicchini M.Ed., Ed.S., NCSP is a nationally certified school psychologist. He specializes in character education and is the only school psychologist on the East Coast to be certified in the new field of Social Emotional Learning (SEL)/Character Ed (Rutgers Univ. 2016). He is the owner of One Knight Publishing, LLC
Sir Paul aspires to be a well-rounded Renaissance man. His list of personal accomplishments includes cable television host (Cars Weekly Video Magazine-Philadelphia), AP credentialed sports journalist, humorist, adjunct professor, martial artist, fencer, semi-pro football player, high school football coach, collegiate football scout. His title of "Sir" comes from his rank of Knights Commander with the Templar Knights SMOTJ.
His second novel, YOUNG CYRANO, is the fictionalized account of the teenage life of Cyrano de Bergerac. It received a rating from the respected Readers’ Favorite website (click a link to read their five-star review). Paul’s most recent novel, THE ESSENTIALZ is about a team of teenage superheroes that undergo the same challenges as modern teens.
