The Imposter Syndrome – why successful people often feel like frauds

dungfungus said :

But you still take the pay home, don’t you.

Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:

Alf said :

I relate to this as a public servant. I’m certainly successful and I work hard, but plenty of what I do just doesn’t matter. Even though I am surrounded by people in the same situation, it is easy to feel someone will call the charade for what it is at any moment and highlight my role in it. I think this feeling is symptomatic of modern society and a lot of the jobs that exist. Try reading The Busy Trap by Tim Kreider in the NYT. As he most eloquently points out, ‘…if your job wasn’t performed by a cat or a boa constrictor in a Richard Scarry book I’m not sure I believe it’s necessary.’

“I relate to this as a public servant. I’m certainly successful and I work hard, but plenty of what I do just doesn’t matter.”
But you still take the pay home, don’t you.

Alf said :

‘…if your job wasn’t performed by a cat or a boa constrictor in a Richard Scarry book I’m not sure I believe it’s necessary.’

Ah, that might be why I became an engineer–all that Richard Scarry I was exposed to as a child.

I relate to this as a public servant. I’m certainly successful and I work hard, but plenty of what I do just doesn’t matter. Even though I am surrounded by people in the same situation, it is easy to feel someone will call the charade for what it is at any moment and highlight my role in it. I think this feeling is symptomatic of modern society and a lot of the jobs that exist. Try reading The Busy Trap by Tim Kreider in the NYT. As he most eloquently points out, ‘…if your job wasn’t performed by a cat or a boa constrictor in a Richard Scarry book I’m not sure I believe it’s necessary.’

Just because you’re not paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you…

I suspect the problem sometimes is, in part, the word “syndrome” that might trigger some reflex in some people.

Maybe it’s more about gaining insight and improvement in the work place. That can’t be bad. Seems interesting.

dungfungus said :

Garfield said :

My take on this is that the more you know about something, the greater the understanding of how much you still don’t know. In comparison those who only know a little are ignorant of the true scope of how much they don’t yet know and so can come across as more confidant.

In my career I thought I knew heaps after 5 years and could do it all. By the 10 year mark I knew a lot more than I did at the 5 year mark but realised there was still more that I didn’t know. I can relate to the imposter syndrome.

When you know what you don’t know consider that you know everything.

!

Garfield said :

My take on this is that the more you know about something, the greater the understanding of how much you still don’t know. In comparison those who only know a little are ignorant of the true scope of how much they don’t yet know and so can come across as more confidant.

In my career I thought I knew heaps after 5 years and could do it all. By the 10 year mark I knew a lot more than I did at the 5 year mark but realised there was still more that I didn’t know. I can relate to the imposter syndrome.

When you know what you don’t know consider that you know everything.

davo101 said :

dungfungus said :

A self-confessed

dungfungus said :

“Hugh Kearns (Flinders University, Australia) has worked with thousands of high performing imposters…..”
That’s what is said my friend. Hardly an ambiguous statement.

Doesn’t prove your point. What you’ve done here is confuse the testimony of a random ANU spokesthing for an admission from the speaker.

Experts never agree.

Garfield said :

My take on this is that the more you know about something, the greater the understanding of how much you still don’t know. In comparison those who only know a little are ignorant of the true scope of how much they don’t yet know and so can come across as more confidant.

In my career I thought I knew heaps after 5 years and could do it all. By the 10 year mark I knew a lot more than I did at the 5 year mark but realised there was still more that I didn’t know. I can relate to the imposter syndrome.

Also known as religion and the “God of the Gaps” argument. Throughout history everytime man hasn’t been able to understand or explain something we’ve inserted a god in the gap of our knowledge.

The biggest issue these people have is admitted that they don’t know or could be wrong.

Everyone should feel like an imposter sometimes because we can and will be wrong at some point in our lives. The second we claim to have perfect unfaultable knowledge is the second we are lying to ourselves.