By Hayes Kehne
“The Imposter Phenomenon” or more commonly referred to as “Imposter Syndrome” is described by the American Psychological Association as “High achievers who are unable to internalize and accept their success. They often attribute their accomplishments to luck rather than ability, and fear that others will eventually unmask them as a fraud”[1]. Generally accompanied by feelings of anxiety and depression, Imposter Syndrome can have severe impacts on someone’s social, personal, and academic life. According to a 2011 article in the Journal of Behavioral Sciences, about 70 percent of people will experience the “Imposter Phenomenon” during their life. That means a large majority of people that you or I pass by every day, will or are, currently being affected by Imposter Syndrome.[2]
I think Imposter Syndrome is accurately described by William Somerville in our article by the APA, “There’s a sense of being thrown into the deep end of the pool and needing to learn to swim, “But I wasn’t just questioning whether I could survive. In a fundamental way, I was asking, ‘am I a swimmer?’ I believe this quote provides insight to a deeper understanding of Imposter Syndrome. As a student, I don’t ponder if I can achieve proficiency within a class, but instead; “Do I even deserve to be here?”
I discussed “Imposter Syndrome” with a good friend of mine, who will hereafter be referred to as “Frank”. Frank is from NWA and his discipline is “Computer Science and Network”. Currently twenty-one Frank has experienced this disorder on multiple facets of life. During Frank’s first year of his undergraduate degree he was receiving interviews from corporations such as J.B. Hunt and Arvest.
Frank was younger than the other applicants and with significantly less field-experience, he wondered how and why he attained these opportunities. Frank attributed these interviews to pure chance. He didn’t consider the amount of time and effort he was putting into his future; Frank was unable to accept that he in fact, was deserving.
“The you everyone else sees, versus the you that you see” and “the feeling of inadequacy Imposter Syndrome” are the things Frank said to me when I asked him to describe the feeling of Imposter Syndrome. In order for Frank to effectively combat, as well as deal with the effects of feeling like an imposter, he developed positive coping and processing mechanisms. These mechanisms included things like exercise; working out at the gym helps to relieve the mind, and healthier dietary habits tend to help maintain mental, emotional, and physical stability.
But processing through a disorder isn’t necessarily as easy as just getting through it. Frank still suffers today. However, there is hope! There is a plural of resources on campus that specialize in helping students overcome obstacles such as imposter syndrome. The CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Sources) center works with students daily, a large portion of whom are going through exactly what Frank is experiencing. If you resonate with this article I highly recommend contacting CAPS at 479-575-5276.
Psychological help is not a “one size fits all” solution and CAPS is not the only resource; as friends, family, or even strangers can have massive impacts on your health. Talk to your family, reach out to your friends. Sit down on a bench with a stranger whose willing to listen. There are people in your life that want to help, they may just not realize who needs help unless it is asked for.
Because the truth; everyone is a swimmer.
Sources
[1] Weir, K. (2013). Feel like a Fraud? Retrieved February 26, 2020, from https://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2013/11/fraud
[2] Sakulku, J. (1). The Impostor Phenomenon. The Journal of Behavioral Science, 6(1), 75-97. https://doi.org/10.14456/ijbs.2011.6
Photo Credit
Photo by Amer Mughawish on Unsplash.
