Imposter Syndrome Tests: A waste of time?
Feel Like You Could Write The Book on Imposter Syndrome?
I have worked with many people affected by imposter syndrome and related issues. You can make progress in this area and feel good about yourself.
Many go searching online for a test in an attempt to self-assess. Unfortunately, some of these questionnaires are dubious. What’s more, tests almost never capture the complexity behind a psychological issue like imposter syndrome. In this article, I explain imposter syndrome, the key signs, and what you can do about this problem.
Topics include:
What is imposter syndrome?
First described by Pauline Clance, ‘imposterism’ (also spelt impostor or imposter syndrome) refers to people who believe their achievements are undeserved (1), and that others will discover them as a fraud (2). The fear of being exposed may lead to high anxiety levels.
Put simply, imposterism makes someone feel like a fraud in their professional and/or personal life.
Imposter mode may be especially noticeable in activities where performance is visible to others (3). The workplace is a key performance-orientated context. This is one reason why people seek help for imposterism at work.
People with imposterism can appear confident to the outside world in spite of these fears (4). Concealing a lack of self-confidence becomes a well-practised skill. But, learning ways to ‘fake it’ only increase the sense of fraudulence. What’s more, a self-assured appearance cannot reduce underlying stress and anxiety.
It is normal to experience some self-doubt. Confidence will naturally fluctuate across situations and over time. You are probably doing ok if imposterism is mild and appears infrequently. However, extra help may be required when imposterism is severe, ongoing, and significantly alters your behaviour and well-being.
Imposter syndrome symptoms
Imposterism is common so it is important to avoid ‘pathologising’ this issue. This problem is not a diagnosable psychological condition. Thus, using terms like ‘syndrome’ and ‘symptoms’ is a bit misleading. Imposterism doesn’t appear in the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM).
That aside, imposterism can occur in anyone both with and without a co-existing mental health problem. While not an official condition, imposterism causes significant distress and detracts from your enjoyment of work and life.
The main indicator of imposterism is a reluctance to take credit for success. Psychologists refer to this as not ‘internalising’ achievements. In other words, you attribute outcomes to factors outside yourself (e.g., low task difficulty, the kindness of others).
Other signs of imposter syndrome include:
Setting unrealistically high expectations for task performance
Downplaying achievements
Assuming success is due to luck or chance
Frequently assuming you’ve failed on tasks
Worrying that other people are about to ‘discover’ your incompetence
A high degree of negative thoughts about self, others and the future
Discounting positive feedback from others.
A tendency to set high expectations and underestimate performance creates a permanent gap between actual and expected performance (1). This divide cannot be closed, even though it is a distortion of reality.
Stop telling women they have imposter syndrome
The popularity of imposter syndrome is clear. We see extensive coverage in social media. However, this high profile runs the risk of over-use. This concept might be used as a simplistic explanation of a person’s behaviour. There are other problems to consider, such as social anxiety and low self-esteem. Be wary of this potential trap.
The over/misuse of the imposter label has been discussed by many people. Here is an example in this article by Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey.
Imposter syndrome types
The notion of imposterism ‘subtypes’ has been popularised by several people, including Valerie Young. These manifestations really refer to unhelpful thinking and coping patterns that occur with imposterism. For instance, ‘The Perfectionist’ subtype reflects the type of imposter who imposes unrelenting high standards on themself in an effort to achieve flawless performance levels.
There does not appear to be a large volume of high-quality research on the subtype idea. So, a healthy dose of scepticism should be applied to this topic. Subtypes may draw out relevant thoughts and behaviours. But, we shouldn’t over-complicate imposterism.
Opposite of imposter syndrome
Overconfidence is one concept that describes the opposite of imposterism.
The Dunning-Kruger effect (5) is the tendency to hold overly favourable views of your abilities. This bias can be as damaging as imposterism. Both imposterism and overconfidence represent an inaccurate appraisal of skills and performance.
Ideally, people should avoid either extreme of the self-confidence continuum. For example, a bit of doubt encourages positive behaviours (e.g., checking your work, consulting with others).
Causes and outcomes of imposterism
There are likely to be many causes of imposterism. A couple of examples are (2):
Upbringing and family environment (e.g., harsh and critical parenting style)
A person’s underlying personality
The crucial point is that you cannot reduce imposterism to a single cause.
Imposterism causes unhelpful behavioural effects. For example, you might procrastinate over essential tasks, or put far more effort into a job than required (leading to other problems, such as poor time management). These behaviours form part of a ‘vicious cycle’ that maintains imposterism.
There is some evidence that imposterism is related to several mental health issues. These range from negative emotions about self (e.g., guilt and shame) to anxiety, low mood and overall dissatisfaction with life (2).
Imposter syndrome at work
I often see imposterism play out in the workplace. This issue can significantly affect the way people approach their jobs. I see capable people suffer unnecessarily.
For instance, I have seen clients avoid speaking up in meetings, suggesting ideas, providing feedback to colleagues, and so on. The fear of being ‘found out’ drives people to unintentionally limit (or even reduce) their workplace performance.
Furthermore, many individuals shy away from applying for promotions and projects that would bring new opportunities. The fear of failure and exposure tends to trigger an overly-cautious attitude. Fortunately, there are several psychological strategies available to change these unhelpful patterns.
Imposter syndrome quiz
I am sometimes asked if there is a test for imposter syndrome. There are several tests available, but all of them have limitations. Concerns have been raised about even the most widely used questionnaires (e.g., Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale; 7).
Bottom line is that no test of impostorism is perfect, and questionnaire results or scores are only one part of the imposter syndrome picture.
Key questions in the identification of imposterism can be found in the blue box. Answering ‘yes’ to most or all of these questions probably indicate a significant issue with imposterism (or a related psychological issue) that requires some help.
How to get over imposter syndrome
Successfully tackling imposterim can make a huge difference to the satisfaction and enjoyment you experience in your working and personal life. There are many psychological strategies that have been successfully used by my clients to tame their imposter syndrome.
Strategies include:
Cognitive/Thinking
This involves identifying and challenging thoughts that drive imposterism. Inaccurate evaluations about skills and performance lie at the heart of this problem. We have several techniques to track and modify problematic thinking patterns. You can find example exercises on the skills videos page.
Behavioural
We look to modify and/or replace unhelpful behaviours, reactions, and habits triggered by imposterism. Examples of behaviours I address with clients include:
Procrastination
Perfectionism
Not offering opinions
Turning off your camera during a video meeting
Not applying for promotions.
Physiological/physical
Strategies to manage the body responding to perceived threats as triggered by imposterism (e.g., breathing retraining)
Summary
Imposter syndrome is a really common issue that I see across my work with clients. Ironically, many successful people suffer from this problem. I find that a combination of the cognitive and behavioural strategies described above often give people great results.
Imposter Quotes
We shared the smile of recognizing ourselves in each other. Jonathan Safran Foer
Self-doubt is common, but when it impedes you from attaining your goals it’s time to take action. Lois P Frankel
Perfection is a delusion. Perfection requires someone else to be inferior in order to win. Deborah Bravandt
We are Coaching & Clinical Psychologists with extensive experience helping people conquer a range of wellbeing and performance issues at home and in the workplace. We can also help with imposter syndrome. Read more about our work, watch practical skills videos or browse other articles. Get in touch anytime.
References
(1) Clance, P. R. (1985). The Impostor Phenomenon: Overcoming the fear that haunts your success. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree.
(2) Sakulku, J., & Alexander, J. (2011). The imposter phenomenon. International Journal of Behavioral Science, 6(1), 73-92.
(3) Harvey, J. C., & Katz, C. (1985). If I’m so successful, why do I feel like a fake. New York: Random House.
(4) Leary, M. R., Patton, K., Orlando, A., & Funk, W. W. (2000). The impostor phenomenon: Self-perceptions, reflected appraisals, and interpersonal strategies. Journal of Personality, 68, 725-756.
(5) Kruger, J., & Dunning, D. (1999). Unskilled and unaware of it: How difficulties in recognizing one's own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(6), 1121–1134. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.77.6.1121
(6) Weir, K. (2013). Feel like a fraud? gradPSYCH, 11(4). Accessed from http://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2013/11/index.aspx on June 29th, 2017.
(7) Mak, K., Kleitman, S., & Abbott, M. J. (2019). Impostor Phenomenon Measurement Scales: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 671.
How to pronounce impostor: uhm-po-stuh