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Two years later , the 26-year-old was still struggling to reconcile her self-evaluations with how the rest of the world perceived her , telling Vogue U . K : “[ N ] ow , when I receive recognition for my acting , I feel incredibly uncomfortable . I tend to turn in on myself . I feel like an impostor .”
Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg recalls feelings of insecurity as well . From as early as her school days , she describes how she was sure she would embarrass herself every time she was called on in class , or how she felt convinced she had done badly with every test taken . When she subsequently didn ’ t embarrass herself or fail her tests , Sandberg believed that she had “ fooled everyone yet again ” and “ one day soon , the jig would be up .” She explains : “ Both men and women are susceptible to the impostor syndrome , but women tend to experience it more intensely and be more limited by it .”
What is at play here ? Why are women , as Sandberg states , more “ susceptible ” to imposter syndrome — or why does it appear this way ? female students she counseled at Oberlin College . Though they had each achieved so much just to secure places at the prestigious school , they felt their admissions were undeserved . Clance recalls : “ I saw these people who had gone to the best schools , often private schools , had highly-educated parents and excellent standardized test scores , grades , and letters of recommendation . But here they were , saying things like , ‘ I ’ m afraid I ’ m going to flunk this exam ,’ or ‘ Somehow the admissions committee made an error .’”
With her colleague Suzanne Imes , Clance investigated this mental habit further , theorizing that women were especially predisposed to what they called “ the impostor phenomenon ” — a sense of inadequacy among successful females so felt because “ success for women is contraindicated by societal expectations and their own internalized self-evaluations .”
The impostor phenomenon ( or syndrome ) theory gained traction , with many embracing Clance ’ s claims as a solid explanation for the inequality women face in the workplace . However , two decades after writing her paper about the impostor phenomenon in high-achieving women , Clance admitted that impostorism is not a uniquely female experience . In a 1993 article , she wrote that “ males in these populations are just as likely as females to have low expectations of success and to make attributions to non-ability related factors .”
Since then , some well-known male figures — actor Tom Hanks and authors Neil Gaiman and John Green , for example — have stepped forward laying claim to impostorism . But women seem simply more willing to openly discuss their self-doubt , adding fuel to the misguided belief that this is a problem exclusive to females .
What is going on ? More clues come from Bangkok-based director and strategic communications consultant Kate Jackson , who examines the gender differences in socio-linguistics to understand the different ways men and women respond to workplace scenarios . “ Women generally use [ the word ] ‘ we ’ and publicly talk about the success of a group collectively , rather than individually ,” she says . “ There seems to be an unwritten rule to be more self-effacing
A 1995 study at The Claremont Graduate University examined 23,000 participants across 26 cultures to determine gender differences in personality . Their results indicated that women are more sensitive , considerate , and humble than men ; all qualities attributed to good leaders . Conversely , a study on managers across a range of industries and sectors , found that males in senior positions were more likely to be arrogant , manipulative and risk-prone than their female peers — traits not conducive to successful leadership . Whether women are facing too many barriers to executive roles or men are facing too little , this is a pattern that works to everyone ’ s detriment .
IMPOSTOR SYNDROME : AVAILABLE TO ANYONE
In the 1970s , psychology professor Pauline Rose Clance began to notice a worrying trend among the
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