5 Types of Imposter syndrome – Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatments

What is Imposter Syndrome?

Imposter syndrome is when a person has extreme self-doubt about themself. It can occur to one anyone and is especially reported in high-achieving individuals.

Imposter phenomenon, fraud syndrome, imposter experience and perceived fraudulence are the other names for imposter syndrome.

According to NCBI, a set of 62 experiments was carried out with 14,161 participants. It demonstrated that about 6-82% of people had experienced imposter syndrome. The symptoms exhibited differed from one person to another.

People with imposter syndrome find it difficult to appreciate their self-values. Even if they attribute good in their professional life, they relate it to luck. If they face any professional setbacks, they sight it as professional inadequacy.

The reasons for a person getting affected with imposter syndrome are when they join a new job, societal pressure and peer pressure. However, imposter syndrome is not identified as a psychiatric disorder.

What it feels like?

When a person is affected with imposter syndrome, they will experience severe self-doubt. Even though a person excels in a particular field, they might think less of themself and self-negative-talk may increase.

For example, a person might be good at public speaking. But when they are experiencing imposter syndrome, they become anxious and nervous when asked to do the job they have excelled in.

Additionally, the person tends to work longer hours and set high standards for themself, which adds to the stress.

5 types of Imposter syndrome

To understand better about imposter syndrome is broken down into 5 basic types.

The Perfectionist

The perfectionist and imposter syndrome can be interrelated. The person with the perfectionist type will set high standards and goals for themself. And if they are not able to achieve that goal, their stress levels will increase.

People with this type of syndrome think that only they can complete a task successfully. They will not allow other people to participate actively.

For them, success is rarely satisfying, and they always think they could have done better. However, they will not realise that it is neither healthy nor productive.

The expert

The expert category of people measures themself with the things they know or the efficiency level they can perform a task. However, they will not be satisfied with the knowledge they have and fear being exposed.

When exposed to a group of people, they think they are inexperienced or not up to the knowledge of the others in the group. But the fact that there is more to learn is inevitable, and self-doubt will never help in any stage of life.

However, striving to learn more to keep up with the skill set in professional life will help a person to learn more. But bulking up things to seek more will only lead to procrastination.

The Natural Genius

The “Natural Genius” will judge themself, and if they take a long time to master themself, they will feel low and ashamed.

Another quality of natural genius is they will want to get things right the first time. And if they are not able to do it, they will feel very stressed and low. They expect things to be done immediately.

However, learning is a lifelong process, and you cannot master certain things on the first attempt. They will not be under stress and self-doubt if they realise it.

The Soloist

“The Soloist” are independent individuals. It’s good to be independent. But people with this syndrome will not seek help and refuse the assistance just to prove their worth.

People consider themself not worthy or less worthy if they seek help. They believe that seeking help from others is a sign of weakness.

They prefer individual tasks to group tasks, and they will feel they require extra preparation time.

The Superwoman/man

People with this type of syndrome will have difficulty managing their tasks. These individuals love to take responsibility and will not say no to any task.

They will juggle many tasks at a time. Even if they reach the point of exhaustion, they will work on the tasks without quitting. This will put them under unnecessary pressure, and they will work harder than their peers.

Often, these people will be in the people-pleaser category. So they will always say yes to the tasks assigned, even if they have work piled up.

Causes of Imposter syndrome

The causes of imposter syndrome can differ between individuals, and their childhood and family background would make a major difference.

Family upbringing

Many people affected with this syndrome may have a family background that puts them under pressure and stress more about achievements and success. This can also be due to societal pressure that can be implemented in families.

Children who grow up in such families will feel they have achieved less in life or are less worthy due to peer pressure and being compared with others.

New to work or school

When a person enters a new environment, it is normal to feel out of place. Even after getting used to the environment, they will feel anxious due to the expectation they have set for themself.

They will feel like they want to achieve in every task they perform, and success will be their only motive. They will tend to prove themself to everyone. They will always think that the things they achieved were only out of luck.

Children who have been doing good in their previous institutions will not do good after changing schools. They will often be stressed, and this can indicate that the person has imposter syndrome.

Social anxiety

Social anxiety can be one of the primary causes of imposter syndrome. People with social anxiety think they do not belong to society as they perform less when compared to others.

When you converse with others who talk about their achievements, they will feel they have achieved less in life. They will lack confidence and feel they have put less or inadequate effort.

Personality

People with certain personalities will have a higher risk of getting affected by imposter syndrome. Such personalities include

• The perfectionist,
• Low-self efficacy and
• Low self-esteem.

Symptoms of Imposter Syndrome

A person with imposter syndrome will be impacted by certain behaviour and personality traits.

• The person will consistently have self-doubt.
• They will have very low self-esteem.
• They will be restless and nervous, which can manifest as negative talks.
• Anxiety and depression can be the major traits.
• Even if they are doing good, they will feel they are doing less.
• When people talk about their achievements, they will feel they are less worthy.
• They will juggle between tasks.
• If work has to be done, they think only it can be done by them.
• They will not be able to access their skills.
• Setting goals that are very high.
• Attributing success to factors like luck.

Risk factors of Imposter syndrome

Anyone can experience imposter syndrome. When a person is running too much towards perfection, evaluating themself less and keeping high goals are prone to imposter syndrome.

Diagnosis of Imposter syndrome

Currently, there is no medical diagnosis for imposter syndrome. According to a survey conducted by the Institute of Education Sciences, about 7 in 10 adults experience imposter syndrome.

Additionally, imposter syndrome can be commonly seen in people who work hard and achieve in life.

Treatment of Imposter syndrome

Currently, there is no medical treatment for imposter syndrome. But if an individual thinks they have imposter syndrome, they can seek help from mental health professionals.

To handle or cope with imposter syndrome, there are certain ways. Some of the common points to focus on are listed below.

Share your feelings

Try to talk to people and share your feelings. If you need help in managing your tasks, seek help. If you think you can manage your work, then you are halfway there to experiencing imposter syndrome.

Focus on others

When you see people struggling with their tasks, try to help them. People can be affected by this syndrome, and they would also require help. People might tend to separate themself from the group due to imposter syndrome. So, try to talk to them and work on it together.

Assess your abilities

At times, everyone will get a feeling that we are doing less in our professional life. This can occur due to low self-esteem. Celebrate your small achievements and success.

Try to set realistic goals and write down your achievements. And compare it with your past achievements. This will help you to improve and give a positive approach.

Take baby steps

Don’t aim to becoming a perfectionist. This will affect you and the people in your team or group. Try to take small steps that take you forward to success.

And reward yourself for taking small steps. Try to talk in a small group or share your opinion. This will make you less nervous and give you a feeling of belonging in the group.

Stop comparing

Never compare yourself with anyone. Comparison will only lead to unwanted stress and pressure.

Suppose you work with someone smarter than you try to work with them, and don’t try to compete.

You will not fall prey to such syndromes when you learn to accept your shortcomings and learn from them.

Refuse to let it hold you back

Do not try to hold back anything. Try to build a feeling of belonging.  This will help you to achieve your goals more efficiently. Do not stop and keep working towards your goal. With hard work, you can always taste the fruits of success.

Conclusion

Imposter syndrome can sometimes kindle your negative thoughts. There are many strategies available to cope with imposter syndrome.

If you achieve something in life, do not attribute it to luck. You can achieve your goals in life only with hard work and dedication.

Remember to remain positive and share your tasks with others if you feel exhausted. If you are still unable to cope with the negative thoughts and imposter syndrome, consult a mental health professional.

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