This is how imposter syndrome limits us professionally.

Let's take a look at how imposter syndrome keeps us tied to job dissatisfaction.

Although we may not know it, that does not prevent us from having felt it on more than one occasion. It often happens that, both in our jobs and in our studies, we sometimes get the feeling that we are not good at it, that our colleagues are much more skilled than we are, and even that we are frauds without meaning to be.

This phenomenon is called imposter syndrome, a psychological condition that makes us unable to recognize our own success, thinking that the good things that happen to us are due to external factors and that we are nothing more than people full of defects and inabilities.

Given its definition, it can be assumed that this peculiar phenomenon has very negative consequences in the workplace. For this reason, we will now take a look at how impostor syndrome limits us professionally.

What is impostor syndrome?

The impostor syndrome is a psychological process by which the person who develops it does not recognize his or her own success. the person who develops it does not recognize the own success in the professional sphere. Those who suffer from it constantly think that they do not deserve any of the recognitions or triumphs derived from their work performance, living permanently with the feeling of not being worthy of it, of being a fraud and of deceiving their environment. They are not capable of valuing their own merits.

The impostor syndrome has been widely studied since it was conceptualized in 1978. There are many people who suffer from it, and in fact we can mention well-known figures who admit to having suffered from it on occasion. Actress Kate Winslet, singer Jennifer Lopez or astronaut Neil Armstrong, all of them successful people, claim that at more than one time or another they have considered themselves frauds and undeserving of their achievements.

It is believed that this psychological phenomenon affects 70% of people at some point in their lives, especially women.Some experts tend to relate it to perfectionist traits at pathological levels. People who suffer from it suffer from a persistent fear of being "discovered" as a kind of work impostor. The curious thing is that it occurs, above all, in people with a very high work performance and who are in charge of positions of great responsibility.

This feeling of being a fraud can become very blocking, so much so that it becomes a barrier that prevents further growth in the work environment. Most people who suffer from this psychological phenomenon see their careers limited, have lower salaries, receive fewer promotions than their peers with similar skills and experience, and have more problems looking for new jobs.

It is often the case that people are aware of their own shortcomings, but do not see the shortcomings of others.. Because we only see their strengths, we get the feeling that our co-workers are better prepared than we are. It can give us the feeling that in some people, failure simply does not exist. However, we should know that the professional success we see in others is only the tip of the iceberg, and that the submerged part is made up of disappointments and failures that have not prevented them from moving forward.

How does it limit us occupationally?

The impostor syndrome can affect workers in many ways, which we will examine in more detail below:

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One of the main causes behind impostor syndrome is having too much perfectionism. People who are too demanding of themselves are never satisfied with the final result of their projects, so much so that they may be revising and redoing them over and over again..

The feelings he feels about his work are frustration and pessimism, thinking that what he has done is not worth the least and, therefore, he rejects any compliments he may receive at his workplace. Added to this, this high level of perfectionism can generate a lot of anxiety and stress, emotions that can have a negative impact on professional performance.

2. Low self-esteem

People suffering from impostor syndrome have very low self-esteem. These individuals may be overly concerned with the work of others, constantly comparing themselves to their peers and fixating heavily on those aspects that, no matter how minor, they have not done well and others have. This constant comparison is often fueled by the underlying belief that others deserve their accomplishments..

If their self-esteem is already low, it is further reduced when people with imposter syndrome see the world in a very skewed way. They see themselves as people full of flaws, while they see others as successful people thanks to their virtues and strengths, something that further fuels the idea that they are a complete fraud.

3. Dysfunctional attribution

Attribution is the psychological process by which we attribute our successes and also failures to different causes, internal or external, that is, to ourselves or to an outside element, over which we normally have no direct control. People with impostor syndrome attribute their achievements to external factors, such as luck, environmental circumstances or the action of another person, instead of considering that successes and achievements are the result of their own work, dedication and skill.

This way of thinking will end up affecting seriously at a psychological and emotional levelThis way of thinking will end up having a serious psychological and emotional impact, making the person suffering from the syndrome feel depressed as he/she perceives that the good things that happen to him/her are the result of factors over which he/she has no control, and that the bad things that happen to him/her are his/her own fault. This further fuels the fear that others will "discover" that whatever he or she has been able to achieve is because of, what he or she believes, is luck.

4. Psychological rumination

Psychological rumination is the phenomenon that occurs when one cannot stop thinking about the same negative subject or idea, causing anxiety and anguish because of both its negative content and the fact of having lost control over the thought, of not being able to stop it. This situation can become so serious that the person becomes obsessed and cannot stop it. the person becomes obsessed and cannot abandon this recurrent idea, wasting hours and hours thinking about it constantly, and on top of that suffering because of it..

Rumination is precisely one of the ways in which impostor syndrome affects us at work. In their case, ruminating thoughts are often related to the idea of not being worthy of their job, of not deserving any of the successes they have achieved, or believing that others are better and, on top of that, constantly judging them.

5. Lack of assertiveness

When we speak of assertiveness we refer to the capacity to express opinions, emotions, ideas and interests in an energetic, direct way but, also respectful towards the others. People tend to be more assertive when their self-esteem is higher, as well as when they have a high self-esteem.and also when they have a positive self-image.

On the other hand, people with low self-esteem and who perceive themselves as less effective, such as those suffering from imposter syndrome, tend to be less assertive when giving their point of view or conveying their feelings.

6. Social isolation

The impostor syndrome affects social relationships because people who suffer from it interpret compliments and professional recognition in a negative way, as if they were mocking or undermining them. interpret praise and signs of professional recognition in a negative way, as if they were mocking or lying to them..

This can cause those who suffer from this psychological condition to isolate themselves from others, not wanting to interact with their coworkers as they interpret any interaction with them as a possible threat. They also avoid rubbing elbows with them at company-organized social events, such as coworker dinners or outings.

7. Clinging to the comfort zone

Those who are trapped in this syndrome avoid challenges and do not leave their comfort zone.. In fact, this type of behavior is a fairly reliable indicator of impostor syndrome, since one of its most prominent features is the fear of failure, something seen as inevitable when the task to be performed is new and it is not believed to possess neither the knowledge nor the experience necessary to do it correctly.

For this reason people suffering from impostor syndrome are unlikely to accept new responsibilities, as well as to try new things in their job or compete for promotions or raises. Thus, we can say that the impostor syndrome affects us by making us reject opportunities for growth and improvement.

8. Lack of motivation

Another way impostor syndrome affects us is by taking away our motivation. Believing that you do not deserve your job or that you will not last long in it can make you lose the desire to make an effort or to grow as a professional. The person believes that it is not in his or her power to succeed at work, so he or she loses the desire and interest to expand his or her skills and knowledge.The person believes that it is not in his or her hands to succeed at work, so he or she loses the desire and interest to expand his or her skills and knowledge.

9. Insecurity

The impostor syndrome brings with it, almost undoubtedly, insecurity.. This is related to all the aspects we have seen so far, consisting in considering that the work one is doing is not of sufficient quality. To make matters worse, the feeling that things are going to be done badly because of insecurity means that they will indeed be done badly, giving rise to the phenomenon of the self-fulfilling prophecy.

In other words, thinking that one is not good at what one does, despite being good at it, translates into a poorer quality of work due to lack of motivation and the feeling of not being good at it.