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 "I
used to have
this
dream
that somebody was knocking at my door. Leslie
Nielsen [Philadelphia City Paper Interactive,
1999
cpcn.com]
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~ ~ ~ ~ "The discomfort women express with achievement may not be a result of impostor feelings as much as a desire to equalize relationships and disassociate from the male model of achievement.... women tend to define competence as perfection and are often guided by standards that are unnecessarily high." Lee Anne Bell - from article : Gifted Women: Identity and Expression - by Douglas Eby ~ ~ ~ ~
"You always
feel like
he's
feeling: 'I don't deserve this.'"
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 Valerie
Young, PhD.. ..
Like a lot of graduate students, my status was what was commonly referred to as "A-B-D," meaning I'd completed "all but the dissertation." I was
sitting in class one day when another student rose to present the
findings
of a study conducted by psychology professor Pauline Clance and
psychologist
Suzanne Imes called The Impostor Phenomenon Among High Achieving Women
(1978). In a nutshell, Clance and Imes found that many of their female clients seemed unable to internalize their accomplishments. External proof of intelligence and ability in the form of academic excellence, degrees, recognition, promotions and the like was routinely dismissed. |
Instead, success was attributed to contacts, luck, timing, perseverance, personality or otherwise having "fooled" others into thinking they were smarter and more capable than these women "knew" themselves to be. Rather than offering assurance, each new achievement and subsequent challenge only served to intensify the ever-present fear of being... Found Out "Oh my God," I thought, "I've been unmasked!" Valerie Young, PhD - from
her [old] site impostorsyndrome.com related article: 10 Steps to Overcome the Impostor Syndrome Her
program How to
Feel As Bright and Capable
As |
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"I still believe that at any time the no-talent police will come and arrest me." Mike Myers [mrshowbiz.go.com]
~ ~ ~I'd never really thought about my definition of success, of what was most important to me, until I noticed
the way that my body/mind reacted to the medical school environment.My insecurities and fears became glaringly apparent. I began to think that everyone else belonged at Harvard
and that I was an imposter, that I must have gotten in by mistake.Did you ever think that if other people really knew you, if they could see into your soul, then maybe they would see
just how unworthy you really were? Well, that's just how I felt -- worthless, alienated, and lonely.Pretty soon my body began to respond to the pictures in my mind. I was always "awfulizing" - a wonderful word
that the psychologist Albert Ellis coined. It means blowing things up out of proportion and creating mental movies
of disaster -- for example, parlaying a headache into a brain tumor and then worrying about how your family
will ever survive without you.Joan Borysenko, Ph.D. - from her book The Power of the Mind to Heal
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The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always
so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.Bertrand Russell
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The truth is, I didn't know if I could do it [break into the movie business].
I didn't even know why I wanted to do it. Half the time, I was waiting for someone
to say to me, 'Wait a second, you can't do this.' I would have said, 'I knew it. I knew it!'That's why I never took acting classes, because I was terrified if I went in there
and got up and did something, they would say, 'Oh, no, no, no. You're not good,
really; go find something else.'And I would have probably said, 'You're right, I'm going to go and pursue - whatever, archeology.
Demi Moore [Premiere - Special Issue: Women, 1993]
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Parents can be very influential in designing those little creepy-crawlers that jump around in your mind for the rest of your life. It's the fear of not being good enough. Someone somewhere along the way has given you the idea that maybe you might not be.
Kim Basinger [Vanity Fair, May.2000]
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"When I first started I didn't think I deserved [fan acclaim] -- which is why I did things like refuse awards. I felt then that anybody who loved me must be mental and was not to be trusted... I didn't believe in myself [before] and now I do, so I can accept other people believing in me or liking what I do." Sinead O'Connor
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"I always feel like a fraud. There's always that 'Mrs. Tingle' thing lurking in me."Kevin Williamson - referring to a high school teacher that, he said, so eroded
his confidence and "paralyzed" him that he "didn't write another word for 10 years."He also commented (YM mag., Sep.98): "I'm very thankful to her.
It's funny how that criticism can paralyze you and then it'll just fuel you."
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"I figure I'll just keep on doing what I'm doing, and when everyone else
figures out I'm not very good, I'll be unemployed." Sara Gilbert [at age 16]
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"I always think things are my fault. .. I was so entrenched in theater, I didn't know how to act in front of a camera. I tend to feel I'm the one not up to speed." Joan Allen [Entertainment Weekly 10.10.97]
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...articles :
10 Steps to Overcome the Impostor Syndrome - by Dr. Valerie Young
Do You Know Your Own Strength? - by Polly LaBarre [Fast Company]Gifted Women: Identity and Expression - by Douglas Eby
The Impostor Syndrome - Finding a Name for the Feelings - by Dr. Valerie Young
External proof of intelligence and ability in the form of academic excellence, degrees, recognition, promotions and the like was routinely dismissed. Instead, success was attributed to contacts, luck, timing, perseverance, personality or otherwise having "fooled" others into thinking they were smarter and more capable... these vague feelings of self-doubt, angst and intellectual fraudulence have a name.
Imposter Syndrome - by Amy / afterophelia
The Inner Critic - by Sharon Good
I first heard the phrase "Imposter Syndrome" from my father several years ago. I was talking to him about my feelings of inadequacy, and how I didn't think I deserved the job I'd been given. As my father usually does, he got all intellectual on me. He mentioned the theory of the "Imposter Syndrome", and told me about his own experiences. Also as my father usually does, he really started me thinking.
One of the greatest deterrents to creativity is the inner voice that constantly whispers in our ear that we're not good enough, that nobody will approve of what we're doing, and that they don't really like us anyway. This "inner critic" becomes our constant companion, not only in our work, but in everything we do. ... Talk to your inner critics. Find out what they have to say about you. In most cases, when you hear how extreme and absurd their criticisms are, it will be easier to dismiss them.Introduction of the Imposter Syndrome [Caltech Counseling Center]
Imposter syndrome can be defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist even in face of information that indicates that the opposite is true. It is experienced internally as chronic self-doubt, and feelings of intellectual fraudulence. It is basically feeling that you are not really a successful, competent, and smart student, that you are only imposing as such. Some common feelings and thoughts that might characterize the imposter syndrome are: "I feel like a fake" "My classmates/professors etc. are going to find out I don't really belong here," "Admissions made a mistake."~ ~ ~ ~
*---.-books:
Marcus Buckingham, Donald O. Clifton. Now, Discover Your Strengths
Pauline Clance The Imposter Phenomenon : Overcoming the Fear That Haunts Your Success
Petruska Clarkson The Achilles Syndrome : Overcoming the Secret Fear of Failure
Stephanie Dillon Ph.D., Christina Benson M.D. The Woman's Guide to Total Self-Esteem: The Eight Secrets You Need to Know -- "By identifying and understanding destructive beliefs, women can gradually acquire (or repair) a healthy and fulfilling image of themselves. Clear demonstrations with related exercises show how to develop the eight building blocks of self-esteem: healthy entitlement; the courage to feel; self-objectivity; self-assertion; body acceptance; emotional balance; self-advocacy; and self-nurturing. The book concludes with the suggestion that gaining self-esteem is a lifelong process, and that life’s crises can be opportunities for growth and a more lasting sense of worth. [Amazon.com summary]
Robert J. Furey. You Are Good Enough : Overcoming Feelings of Inadequacy
Joan C. Harvey If I'm So Successful Why Do I Feel Like a Fake : The Impostor Phenomenon
Cheri Huber. There Is Nothing Wrong With You: For Teens
".. a very good self-help book for teens, dealing with self-esteem, which especially applies to young women, because female teens are so much more critical of themselves. Book is written from a Buddhist perspective.." [from reader review]Matthew McKay, Patrick Fanning. Self-Esteem: A Proven Program of Cognitive Techniques
for Assessing, Improving, and Maintaining Your Self-Esteem~ ~ ~
How to Feel As Bright and Capable As Everyone Seems to Think You Are -
a self-study course and CD - available from Changing Course
*more titles on : Self-esteem / self concept resources: articles books
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more :......Impostor syndrome : page 1.......related pages:.......giftedness characteristics..........identity..........self-esteem / self concept
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