In this article in the Times today, the writer advises those of us with Imposter Syndrome to 'Get a Grip' and get rid of it (she says women suffer from it more than men). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6876974.ece As well as Imposter Syndrome, there's also the opposite - I don't think it's a sense of entitlement, more a real belief that you are doing a fantastic job and that you have no faults, and a complete lack of self-awareness about how other people really see you. I work with people in this area, and am fascinated by how people consistenly either rate themselves much worse or much better than other people think they are, and there's no obvious difference between men and women. Here's a link to an article I found on this in the summer: http://www.track360feedback.com/2009/06/11/why-do-we-need-to-know-our-weaknesses/ I do think that women are more likely to talk openly about it, and admit their fears or inadequacies in public, whereas men are more likely to talk themselves up. http://tracksurveys.co.uk/
2 Responses
Re: A belief that you’re doing a wonderful job …. when in real
We see this all the time on ‘reality TV’. Take, for example, the vast majority of X Factor hopefuls. 😉
X Factor Syndrome!
Hi Alex
Yes, agreed – there’s a balance somewhere between healthy self-belief and unhealthy self-delusion…X-Factor and Apprentice are good examples of the latter!
But then some would say that the really successful (as defined by Bill Gates, Dragons Den people etc) are those who have erased all self-doubt and are thus totally focused on their goal…..?? Where’s the line and how do we recognise it?