DO YOU HAVE IMPOSTER
SYNDROME ?
BY LESLEY TIMBOL
It ’ s normal to have doubts , even about yourself . But does that make you a fraud , an imposter ? Have you ever feared being discovered as an imposter ?
What exactly is Imposter Syndrome ( I . S .)? I . S . is NOT a mental illness but rather having the belief that you ’ re not as competent as others perceive you to be . You feel that you aren ’ t as capable as others think so you fear you ’ ll eventually be exposed as a fraud . Despite significant education , experience and accomplishments , you experience self doubt .
The 5 Categories of Imposter Syndrome : 1 ) The Perfectionist : these individuals set super high goals for themselves . When they fail to reach their goal , they worry and experience self-doubt about not ‘ measuring up ’. These types can be ‘ control freaks ’ in that their adage is ‘ if you want something done right , do it yourself ’. Even when they ’ re successful , these types are rarely satisfied because they believe they could have done better . So yes , many bodybuilders fit into this category as well as artists and entertainers . 2 ) Superman / Superwoman : these types are convinced that they ’ re ‘ phonies ’ so they push themselves harder to measure up to their colleagues . They often find any down time ‘ wasteful ’ and feel a significant amount of stress by not working . Workaholics are but one example of this category . 3 ) The Natural Genius : these individuals judge their competence based on the ease and speed they learn something new . Thus , if it takes them a long time to master something , they feel a deep sense of shame . Similarly to perfectionists , they set an impossibly high bar but judge themselves if they don ’ t get things “ right ” on the first try . They dislike the idea of a mentor as they firmly believe they can handle things on their own . An example of this category are those exceptionally genetically gifted individuals who are used to excelling with little effort . 4 ) The Soloist : this category avoids asking for help . They ’ re so independent that they refuse help so they can prove their worthiness . You may have come across these ‘ experts ’ who are not open to feedback nor are they open to people who have different perspectives . 5 ) The Expert : these types base their competence on “ what ” and “ how much ” they know and can do . They become sponges in that they believe they can never know enough and are strongly motivated by the fear of being exposed as inexperienced or unknowledgeable . While it ’ s a positive thing to build your skill set , these “ experts ” spend so much time on professional
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