Honey We Shrunk Ourselves: Women of Color and the Imposter Syndrome
In 1978 researchers Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes conducted a research study on 150 highly successful women, including professionals and high achieving students within the academe and found that regardless of their accomplishments, these women consistently questioned their intelligence and their right to a seat at the proverbial table. They often felt fraudulent despite rightfully earning their degrees, honors, and achievements, and saw themselves unworthy of praise received from colleagues. Ultimately, these self-deprecating thoughts were found to cause anxiety and stress and thus affected participants’ mental health. Their findings prompted Clance and Imes (1987) to coin the term “Imposter Phenomenon”, in an effort to encompass the overall feelings of inadequacy that their participants experienced. Since the Clance and Imes (1987) study, numerous research has been conducted on Imposter Phenomenon, which is also widely interchangeable with the term “Imposter Syndrome”, and findings suggest that Imposter Syndrome can impact all gender and racial identities and is generally seen in high achievers.
According to Inside Higher Ed, “A new study out of the University of Texas at Austin and published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology suggests that Impostor Phenomenon in some cases can degrade the mental health of minority students who already perceive prejudices against them”. This was especially true for Black students polled, as they dealt with “significant impostorism” and higher levels of anxiety and depression which stemmed from bias and discrimination they perceived to be on the receiving end of. Concerning Asian students, feelings surrounding imposturism also subsequently led to depression and anxiety, but were not generally caused by perceived prejudice. Additionally, the study found inconsistencies among Latino students reporting their experiences concerning Imposter Syndrome, which may be attributed cultural differences. Although undergraduate students served as the sample population for this study, its findings can undoubtedly be applied to high achieving Women of Color navigating academic and professional spaces.
So now that we’ve explored the actuality of Imposter Syndrome and its marked impact on the intersectional being that is a Woman of Color, the question of how can it be addressed and overcome naturally presents itself. For this answer, we cue Dr. Valerie Ashby, who shares her lengthy experience with Imposter Syndrome. Dr. Ashby, a Black woman, is the Dean of Duke University’s College of Arts and Sciences. She has won numerous accolades, including awards from the prestigious National Science Foundation and Fortune 500 companies 3M and DuPont, as well as several teaching prizes from UNC. Despite her undeniable success, Dr. Ashby struggled with Imposter Syndrome for the majority of her career. After eventually educating herself on what Imposter Syndrome is and recognizing how greatly it can negatively impact one’s psyche, she has gone on to personally conquer it and now travels the nation to speak to college students and professors on how to resist “academic and professional self-doubt”. Dr. Ashby attributes her success with overcoming Imposter Syndrome to practicing the “10 Steps You Can Use to Overcome Imposter Syndrome”, which were created by Dr. Valerie Young,an internationally recognized expert on Impostor Syndrome and author of the book The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer From Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive In Spite which is currently published in 5 languages. Dr. Young firmly believes that, “The only way to stop feeling like an impostor, is to stop thinking like an impostor” and freely provides her audience with 10 steps to do so, which are included below:
Break the silence. Shame keeps a lot of people from “fessing up” about their fraudulent feelings. Knowing there’s a name for these feelings and that you are not alone can be tremendously freeing.
Separate feelings from fact. There are times you’ll feel stupid. It happens to everyone from time to time. Realize that just because you may feel stupid, doesn’t mean you are.
Recognize when you should feel fraudulent. If you’re one of the first or the few women or a minority in your field or work place, it’s only natural you’d sometimes feel like you don’t totally fit in. Instead of taking your self-doubt as a sign of your ineptness, recognize that it might be a normal response to being an outsider.
Accentuate the positive. Perfectionism can indicate a healthy drive to excel. The trick is to not obsess over everything being just so. Do a great job when it matters most, without persevering over routine tasks. Forgive yourself when the inevitable mistake happens.
Develop a new response to failure and mistake making. Henry Ford once said, “Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” Instead of beating yourself up for being human and blowing the big project, do what professional athletes do and glean the learning value from the mistake and move on.
Right the rules. If you’ve been operating under misguided rules like, “I should always know the answer,” or “Never ask for help” start asserting your rights. Recognize that you have just as much right as the next person to be wrong, have an off-day, or ask for assistance.
Develop a new script. Your script is that automatic mental tapes that starts playing in situations that trigger your Impostor feelings. When you start a new job or project instead of thinking for example, “Wait till they find out I have no idea what I’m doing,” try thinking, “Everyone who starts something new feels off-base in the beginning. I may not know all the answers but I’m smart enough to find them out.”
Visualize success. Do what professional athletes do. Spend time beforehand picturing yourself making a successful presentation or calmly posing your question in class. It sure beats picturing impending disaster and will help with performance-related stress.
Reward yourself. Break the cycle of continually seeking and then dismissing validation outside of yourself by learning to pat yourself on the back.
Fake it ‘til you make it. Now and then we all have to fly by the seat of our pants. Instead of considering “winging it” as proof of your ineptness, learn to do what many high achievers do and view it as a skill. The point of the worn out phrase, fake it til you make it, still stands: Don’t wait until you feel confident to start putting yourself out there. Courage comes from taking risks. Change your behavior first and allow your confidence to build.
Imposter Syndrome is definitely a thing and can uniquely impact WOC pursuing success both academically and professionally in higher education. As someone who has personally had to navigate the interference of Imposter Syndrome throughout my educational journey, especially while pursuing my doctorate, I appreciate the corresponding research and conversation that has surfaced and find value in the steps Dr. Young provides to overcome it. When did you first learn about Imposter Syndrome? Have you dealt with Imposter Syndrome along your academic or professional journey? Which of Dr. Young’s 10 steps specifically speaks to you? You know that we want to hear from you! Please drop your comments below and be on the lookout for our next podcast as we continue to discuss WOC and the Imposter Syndrome!!
