the

imposter
syndrome
Its that little voice that says youre not
good enough, the whisper of doom that
youre going to be unveiled as a fraud.
Imposter syndrome can take its toll on
your self-esteem and your career if left
unchecked, says Charlene Naidoo

When will they

find out I dont
know what Im
doing?

career

An Oscar winner.
An acclaimed author.
The chief of the World Health
Organization.
Millions of women in workplaces all
over the world right now
All talented. All successful. All beautiful. And all the victims
of imposter syndrome. Its real and terrifying. Able to stall
your career opportunities, create problems where none exist
and do a number on your self-esteem.
The issue takes its name from the feeling that
youre an imposter or fraud and that your accomplishments
are not good enough, even if that is not the reality of
the situation. Its a problem that plagues women of all
talents and disciplines. The fact that actress Kate Winslet,
author Maya Angelou and WHO chief Dr Margaret Chan
are victims, speaks to the take-no-prisoners approach
of the phenomenon.
Other characteristics of the syndrome include shying
away from voicing your opinions, taking a backseat when it
comes to new projects or promotions and finding it difficult
to assume a leadership position. Think of it like this: have
you ever had a moment of nervousness before taking the
podium to speak, or uncertainty over applying for a job
that you really wanted? Weve all been there, but for many,
the condition is so crippling that it actively stops followthrough, creating insecurity that inhibits success and erodes
all self-confidence.
Sadly, research shows that women are hardest hit.
A study by Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes,
The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women,
published in the 1970s has been validated hundreds of
times since. And in her book, The Secret Thoughts of
Successful Women, American writer Dr Valerie Young
echoes the sentiment that women have become hardwired
to undersell themselves and their achievements.

Theyre on to me

The reasons are many. We could blame it on women

being inclined to be more self-analytical and to internalise
criticism. There are also the real challenges that women still
face in the workspace fewer women in positions of power,
women still earning far less than men.
A 2012 survey, published in Forbes and conducted by
management consultancy McKinsey, also found that men
were 60 per cent more likely to say they were very qualified
to run for a public office position than women. The same
survey found that women would not apply for a job unless
they met 100 per cent of the prerequisites. Men were not as
discerning and will enthusiastically apply for a job even
if they meet only half of the criteria.
CEO of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg, devoted a large
portion of her book, Lean In, to the idea of women needing to
accept their own greatness.
Tellingly, the research from decades ago circles back
to the same point today: Imposterism is most prevalent

44 |Aquarius.ae

Women tend to attribute

success to external factors,
rather than acknowledge
their own skills. They also
tend to blame themselves for
failures, in a way men do not
among extremely talented and capable individuals.
Socialisation has a lot to answer for, says Dr Saliha Afridi,
clinical psychologist and director at The LightHouse Arabia
psychology clinic in Dubai. In cultures where women are
socialised to be more attuned to traditional gender roles,
feeling like an imposter in a professional capacity
is natural.
We also cannot discount familial pressure and how it
plays into imposterism. Dr Afridi points to other interesting
findings from the research of Clance and Imes: women with
imposter syndrome tend to fall into two categories. The first
category is where women have a sibling who is deemed the
smart one and the women who have the syndrome get the
title of the sensitive one. Even though the imposter may
have amazing academic achievements, the family still holds
those beliefs. The second category of imposters is women
who come from families who have labelled them as being
capable, superior, intelligent, and competent. They are often
reminded of how capable and bright they were as children.
As they start to mature and they are faced with experiences
that they find difficult (that most of us face), they are afraid
that they will be found out by others as being an imposter
and incapable.
Women have gone on to accept these messages and
we are left wondering if we can hack it, writes Dr Young
in her book.
Nor does it help that an enormous volume of those
messages is about women fitting a certain aesthetic, which
brings its own sub-set of issues to the fore. Factor in all
the usual challenges of the workplace combined with
imposterism and you have women who are simply unable
to internalise their success and feel lacking regardless of
their awards, accolades and achievements.
One of the key manifestations here is that women
tend to attribute their success to external factors, Oh it
was just good luck! rather than acknowledge their hard
work, talent and skill. One particular study* highlighted
this difference when it comes to failures or challenges.
Men chalked it up to circumstances outside of their
control; women to themselves.

Aquarius.ae |45

career

Confidence to fail?

Imposter syndrome has gained

so much traction in recent times
that its become something of
a trendy, albeit fundamental,
issue to workshop.
In March this year,
the Capital Club in Dubai,
a private business association,
hosted a presentation on
imposter syndrome, calling on
UK communications expert
Lea Sellers to share her
knowledge. One of her touch
points was to urge women to
embrace their skills, without
defaulting to the male power
setting. We dont have to act
like alpha males to get what
we want, she said. Often
this can just make the situation
more miserable.
Malikah**, a 31-year-old
operations manager, was guilty
of this mindset. She worked at
an IT company in Dubai for a few
years and found herself reacting
to the power displays of her male
counterparts and her confidence
took a huge knock.
I have never been
particularly assertive, she
explains. Even as a child, I was
very quiet and in my family it
wasnt the done thing to boast
about your achievements.
It didnt help matters, she says, to work in
a male-dominated industry. It was very hard not to be
insecure about my abilities because the men I worked
with had amazing skills and they were loud and proud
of it. I never felt confident and certainly never good
enough for my job.
Malikah goes on admit that in her four years at the
company, she didnt ever apply for a promotion.
One initiative that puts a quirky spin on feeling
like a fraud is the Fail Forward conference in Canada.
It held its inaugural event this March and more than
200 professionals attended. In just 30 seconds they had
to confess their biggest failure and they did.
The rationale behind the event is to act as a
Band-Aid of sorts, and rip the shame off in one fell
swoop. The takeaway? Failing is fine. Its normal.
Everyone goes through it. Its nothing to be afraid of.

46 |Aquarius.ae

Being cognisant of that damaging internal dialogue is also key.

Before you can banish those bad thoughts you must be aware
of them. Keep a thought diary, advises Dr Afridi.
The idea here is to reflect on when and what triggers
your insecurities so you know how to work towards silencing
that critical voice.
Dr Afridi also makes a case for seeking therapy,
specifically cognitive behavioural therapy. There are
cognitive distortions that the imposter has such as discounting
the positive or falsely attributing their success to external
factors that have been learned and ingrained. A good
course of cognitive behavioural therapy can help women
become aware of their cognitive distortions and learn ways
to challenge them.
Perhaps the simplest way to banish the imposter in your
head? Let yourself be praised! Enjoy your accolades, revel in
your successes and regularly remind yourself of achievements.
Remember, that voice has no power if you refuse to listen to it.

photos by getty. *cited in Equity and Justice in Social Behavior

(edited by J Greenberg and RL Cohen). **name has been changed

Women should learn to embrace their

skills, without defaulting to the male
power setting. We dont have to act like
alpha males to get what we want