Imposter syndrome describes a belief that you’re inadequate despite evidence that you’re quite successful. Artwork by Andrea Espinoza.
By Andrea Espinoza, Staff Reporter
Have you ever felt like you don’t belong or as if you don’t actually deserve the accomplishments and achievements you’ve earned? If so, you may be feeling the effects of imposter syndrome or what psychologists often refer to as the “imposter phenomenon.”
Imposter syndrome is defined as a psychological condition characterized by persistent doubt concerning one’s abilities or accomplishments accompanied by the fear of being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of one’s ongoing success. An estimated 70% of people have experienced these imposter feelings at one point in their lives, but who exactly suffers from it?
Dr. Heather Butler, associate professor and department chair for the Department of Psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills, pointed out that there are no distinguishing facts that can determine whether women or men suffer from it more. Though women are the ones that report it the most, that doesn’t discount that men can suffer from imposter syndrome as well.
“We definitely thought women experienced it more than men, women do report experiencing more than men,” Butler said. “The issue really is about the reporting part of it. So, we really actually think that men and women probably experience it at the same time.”
Looking beyond the bigger picture of women and men, imposter syndrome can also be common amongst first-generation college students. These students may already feel out of place as they may be the first in their immediate family to attend college. Alternatively, students can often feel like they have to choose one identity or another because their community may not be accepting of who they are.
As a Mexican-American, feeling as though I don’t belong to a certain community is an all too familiar feeling. Oftentimes, I felt as though my community looked down on me or as if I was “better than” because my parents worked hard to ensure I was given opportunities they didn’t have at my age. On the other side, I felt like privileged communities looked down on me because of my ethnicity and where I grew up.
Growing up in a town that is made up of mainly low-income families, many people judged me immediately when I told them I was from Wilmington. It was hard to figure out where I belonged, and it wasn’t until middle school that I made friends with some girls that grew up in my town that made me realize it was silly to be ashamed of where I grew up.
I also found it was important to lean on my family and friends who knew who I was and never judged me for it. I was always told it was important to work through all those negative feelings by just remembering that I deserved whatever I had accomplished because I worked hard for it.
Dr. Yesenia Fernandez, assistant professor of the Teacher Education division program at CSUDH brought up the idea of imposter syndrome as a guest speaker at the “It Takes a Village” racial solidarity event. She also created a first-generation college student seminar called “Paving the Way,” where she brings awareness to imposter syndrome and microaggressions.
“Something that our institution does really well is actually creating support systems. I know students [at CSUDH] for the first and second years have peer mentors that look like them,” Fernandez said. “By creating support systems where students are able to connect with somebody one-on-one that are from different backgrounds like them can help a student feel like they belong.”
Creating a safe space for family members and friends where it is okay to speak freely about these feelings is significant because most people suffering from imposter syndrome are often unable to express it. By leaning on a group of people and cultivating open communication to express these feelings can help normalize the conversations about imposter syndrome.
“It’s important that students understand that when you start feeling like you don’t belong or have those feelings of ‘I’m just going to drop out of college,’” Fernandez said. “You must remind yourself that this is all a manifestation and you just have to push on.”
