The Impostor Syndrome

Aimee

Recently I attended a session at uni where an academic got up on stage and told us about her time here. She had multiple degrees and worked for the University, yet she said something that struck me as odd, something I had never heard about before. She said that she’s waiting for someone to tap her on the shoulder one day as she walks around campus and tell her to pack up her office and leave- that the game is up, that she is a fraud and doesn’t belong here. I cannot recall anyone ever admitting such a thought before, yet only a few short weeks later an older mentor of mine said that she too felt like an impostor at Uni, that when she received her degree she almost burst out laughing as she believed it was ridiculous someone like her could achieve a degree!

I have since found out that this concept has a name – it’s called ‘The Impostor Syndrome’. The Impostor Syndrome according to Wikipedia (not a reliable source for assignments, but always a friendly go-to for quick info!) describes it as:

“An inability of individuals to internalize their accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as ‘fraud’. Despite external evidence of their competence, they remain convinced that they are frauds and do not deserve the success they have achieved. Proof of success is dismissed as luck, timing, or as a result of deceiving others into thinking they are more intelligent and competent than they believe themselves to be.”

Now I’m not suggesting or diagnosing the two woman above with this syndrome, but what I am suggesting is that some of us here at uni are walking around kind of thinking a similar thing, ‘What am I doing here? Surely there’s been some mistake and someone’s going to tell me I shouldn’t be here’.

Well, I am here to tell you. I am here to tell you the truth.

You do deserve to be here. You are capable. You weren’t accepted into university in a fraudulent manner or because the timing was right; you were accepted because you applied and you were successful. And this is the beginning of the success you can have here at Fed Uni.
Have the confidence to raise your hand in class because what you have to say is valuable! Have the confidence to contribute to group discussions, to challenge popular thought, to criticise and theorise. If you receive a good mark, it wasn’t due to luck; it wasn’t because your lecturer ‘felt like’ giving you that grade or that you deceived them; it was because you earned it. You completed the assignment to that standard and the marking rubric supports this – you earned your grade! If you did well on a presentation, it wasn’t because you gave an impression that you’re intelligent and competent, it was because you blitzed the presentation and were fantastic! Your hard work, time-management, research and presentation skills paid off and you deserve the credit!

If you struggle to believe me but want to increase your skills, you can attend the Leadership and Volunteering training offered on-campus or on Moodle, or make use of the workshops by The Student Careers and Employment Service. Or if you find you’re struggling with assignments or time-management, then Fed Uni has a range of free services available to help you. These include the ASK Service, Learning Skills Advisors, YourTutor and the Counselling service.

You are not an impostor. You are a Federation University Australia student and you deserve to be here.

– Aimee

2 thoughts on “The Impostor Syndrome

  1. Hi Aimee,

    Unfortunately, someone suffering from the “imposter syndrome” also walks through the careers office door every couple of days. We are finding that people applying for positions are not being successful as they can not confidently articulate their skills and experiences either on paper in a resume, or face to face in an interview.

    Lucky for them, these people have found the careers office so we can work with them to look at this through sessions exploring experiences, have several versions of a resume to get it right before it is sent off, AND have a couple of practice interviews in the process. I do worry about the people with “the syndrome” who don’t make it into our office.

    If students want to make an appointment with a Careers Team member on their campus, or via skype, google hangouts, or Adobe Connect, they can contact the friendly team on 03 5327 9910, studentcareerhub@federation.edu.au or by logging on to CareerHub and book an appointment themselves by going to http://www.federation.edu.au/careerhub

    Together we can beat this, and get people to be confident in themselves, their experiences and abilities.

  2. Hi Aimee,

    I would like to suggest that The “Imposter Syndrome” is far more deep rooted than matters of self confidence, or, sense of accomplishment.

    If we were to step back (well back) to the point at which people in general are placed in a situation whereby they must choose their place in society. Having not yet had any, or ever seeing any, or being granted any, choice in regards to ‘how’ a ‘person’ might, according to their own sense of self identification, best make an offering to, or assume a role within society. We might best get a look at the actual point of inception (or deviation), as to when exactly this sense of being an imposter took root.

    Now that’s a very convoluted statement I know. So let me clarify.

    Society is ever increasingly diversifying (Letterboxing) the
    roles which people can play within it. This creates severe limitations in regards to the scope of people’s ‘potentials’. It is a sad occurrence for any ‘person’ to be forced into a state of limitation as prescribed by the society into which they are born. And for those that excel within their chosen (or perhaps a more fitting word would be ‘coralled’ ) role, the accolades may be forthcoming, however the recipient’s bereft sense of achievement would be justifiable.

    You may have noticed that I have highlighted the word ‘person’ repeatedly. That is because when your birth certificate is signed, you are declared as a ‘person’. Which is a financial term. You are officially no longer a natural living human being. In fact, you legally cease to exist. And legally begin to exist as a corporation. And no matter how much you achieve within a ‘society of persons’, your potential is immediately restrained by predefined roles. You can only, and at best, assume the role of an imposter.

    In short: Our current society ‘imposes’, therefor it is no wonder that it’s members, especially those members that are compliant and contributive, would have a sense of feeling like nothing less, than imposters.

    I commend and encourage these people that speak of a sense of being an imposter. It is a sign that they are still ‘in touch’ with their natural state of being, and true self worth. The state of uncertainty which these people experience, would represent the ‘gap’ between the two states of being. However , the use of the word ‘Imposter’ is an inappropriate label which implies deceit. I would say that it is more of an ‘Involuntary Compliance Syndrome’ with trimmings.

    I’m glad you raised the issue.

    Myles.

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