A Research Paper By Andrea Gosselink, Career Coach, AUSTRALIA
The Imposter Syndrome/Imposter Phenomenon
Imposter Syndrome, also referred to as imposter phenomenon, can be defined as an internal experience where an individual doubts their intellect and success, and believes they are fooling others despite having numerous professional achievements. More recently there has been discussion on the appropriateness of the term as it can reinforce biases and put undue expectations on individuals to make changes. Despite the recent controversy, it is still a term that clients may bring up or they may bring up characteristics associated with it: persistent self-doubt, perfectionism, and anxiety.[1] This paper dives into imposter syndrome, its impact on employees and employers, and how coaching can assist clients who are experiencing traits associated with this phenomenon.
Imposter Syndrome -An Overview
Individuals with imposter syndrome have difficulty attributing their success and accomplishments to their competence. Clance and Imes’ (1978) initial research believed this phenomenon was more frequent and intense among high-achieving women than in men. This was linked to earlier research that found women often attribute their success to luck or effort, as opposed to intelligence or ability (Deaux, 1976). Research is now revealing that these feelings are not unique to women, but are experienced by 70% of the population at some point (Eruteya, 2022).
Weir (2013) notes that a commonality of those experiencing traits of imposter syndrome is growing up in an environment that places an emphasis on achievement. As a result, achievement, approval, and self-worth become intertwined for the individual. What makes the phenomenon particularly interesting though, is that even with repeated success which should disprove to the individual that they are an imposter, individuals continue to discount their ability and their fear of failure persists. This seems to be more prevalent when an individual is embarking on a new challenge (pursuing a degree, new job, promotion, etc.).
It is also important to note the impact of societal beliefs and biases on the syndrome. For example, using the stereotype that it’s mostly white men who are successful in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) related fields, an individual not aligning with that stereotype may worry that others perceive them as not worthy of success in those disciplines. They may attribute their success to luck rather than ability or intellect. More recently, there has been a push to stop using the term imposter syndrome to describe individuals. The argument for this is that it puts the onus on the individual to ‘fix the problem’, rather than the environmental factors that may be contributing to the issue (Tulshyan & Burey, 2021).
Impacts of Imposter Syndrome on Employees and Employers
Research shows that there are negative impacts on both employees and their employers when individuals experience characteristics associated with imposter syndrome. Bravata et al (2019) published a systematic review of scholarly articles on imposter syndrome and found that the affected employees can experience higher levels of stress and burnout resulting in decreased job satisfaction. Further, it was found that employees who report higher feelings of imposter syndrome tend to do less career planning and have a lower motivation to lead others negatively impacting career advancement. From an organizational standpoint, these factors can have a negative impact on job performance and retention.
Crawford et al (2016) also found a significant relationship between imposter syndrome and issues managing work/life balance among their subjects. One of the factors that can lead to work/life issues, is the tendency of individuals experiencing imposter syndrome to put in more hours and effort than needed on tasks to prove themselves (Eruteya, 2022). Clance and Imes (1978) identified an unhealthy cycle associated with imposter syndrome where one has thoughts that cause negative emotions, and to avoid those negative emotions the individual will overcompensate. This is represented through the Cognitive Triangle of Imposter Syndrome image below.
When the individual does reach success through this cycle, it reinforces that the stress-induced feelings and unnecessary extra effort helped them succeed. This cycle can lead to burnout and feelings of discord in their work/life balance.
As mentioned in the previous section, there has been debate on whether imposter syndrome should be dealt with as an individual problem or a societal or organizational problem. Tulshyan and Burey (2021) encourage organizations to address what may be contributing to the phenomenon. Some examples include understanding and reducing the impact of bias, listening to employees and acknowledging their experiences, and using data-driven (as opposed to objective) approaches for performance criteria.
Coaching and Imposter Syndrome
While organizations can do more to address environmental factors associated with imposter syndrome, it is important to provide support to individuals who may be experiencing characteristics of imposter syndrome (e.g. low self-esteem, burnout, and fear of failure). In fact, Bravata et al (2019) recommends employers incorporate coaching as one of the ways to assist employees in this space. Below are some common scenarios where coaching can be used when these characteristics arise during a coaching session.
One way these characteristics can manifest in clients is the feeling that they do not have the abilities or competence that others think they have, in other words, they have low self-esteem. Helping clients recognize their achievements, and specifically how their ability and competence (not luck or external factors) contributed to their success can help clients shift their mindset to recognize internal factors that lead to their success. For example, if you see that a client is downplaying their success, you could share that observation and invite the client to respond. This aligns with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) competencies of Cultivating Trust and Safety with the Client -The coach partners with the client by inviting the client to respond in any way to the coach’s contributions and accepts the client’s response (4.4) and Evokes Awareness-Coach shares-with no attachment-observations, intuitions, comments, thoughts or feelings, and invites the client’s exploration through verbal and tonal invitation (7.5), (e.g. Feel free to correct me here, I heard you say that you think you received this promotion due to your manager liking you as opposed to your contributions. What comes up for you when you hear that?). Sharing this observation may help the client reflect and acknowledge that their ability and competence did play a role in their success.
Another common scenario that may arise is burnout or exhaustion. If a client shares that they are feeling burnout or seeking better balance, it may be helpful to explore their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. If you recognize the Imposter Syndrome cycle mentioned in the previous section happening for your clients where they tend to put in extra effort to achieve results, you can invite them to explore what they are learning about their situation or themselves through the ICF competency of Facilitates Growth (markers 8.2 & 8.3). Through Evokes Awareness, a coach can help them explore how they would like to think, feel, and behave in when these situations arise (7.2 & 7.3). Further, once the cycle is visible to the client, they can be invited to consider how they will use this learning to develop more helpful strategies to achieve success (8.4).
Thirdly, coaching individuals to shift their mindset when it comes to expectations or failures can also be helpful. For example, many individuals strive for perfection when it is not feasible or necessary. In these cases, a coach might explore their current thoughts and feelings about their situation and how they would like that to be in the future. Effectively, using the ICF competency of Evokes Awareness, the coach can ask questions to help the individual explore their current way of thinking, feeling, values, needs, wants, beliefs, or behavior in relation to expectations or failures (7.1) and then ask questions to help them explore beyond their current thinking or feeling to new to expanded ways of thinking or feeling about themselves, their situation, or their outcome (7.2, 7.3, & 7.4). This may result in the individual realizing that “good enough” is sufficient.
Understanding and Overcoming Impostor Syndrome
While it is not recommended to label individuals as having impostor syndrome, it is important to be able to support and empower those seeking coaching to help with characteristics related to this phenomenon. Given the prevalence, impacting up to 70% of the population, and the negative association between these characteristics and job performance, job satisfaction, and retention, it is important to be able to recognize when an individual is experiencing this phenomenon and to understand where coaching can help. Coaching can partner with the individual to shift their mindset and/or develop strategies to achieve the outcomes they desire and to achieve their personal and professional potential.
References
Bravata, D. Et al. (2019, December 17). Prevalence, Predictors, and Treatment of Imposter Syndrome: a Systematic Review. Journal of General Internal Medicine Volume 35, #4.
Clance, P. R. & Imes, S. (1978). The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention. Psychotherapy Theory, Research and Practice Volume 15, #3, Fall 1978.
Deaux, D. (1976). Sex and the attribution process. New directions in attribution research Volume 1.
Eruteya, K. (2022, January 3). You’re Not an Imposter. You’re Actually Pretty Amazing. Harvard Business Review.
Huecker, M., Shreffler, J., et al (2023, 31 July). Imposter Phenomenon. National Library of Medicine.
International Coaching Federation Competencies.
Tulshyan, R. & Burey, J. (2021, February 11). Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome. Harvard Business Review.
Tulshyan, R. & Burey, J. (2021, July 14). End Imposter Syndrome in your Workplace. Harvard Business Review.
Wier, K. (2013, November). Feel like a fraud? gradPSYCH Magazine.
[1] Characteristics (non-exhaustive) associated with imposter syndrome: low self-esteem, denial of achievements, fear of success/failure, depression, burnout, and excessive comparison to peers (Heckler, Shreffler, et al, 2023).