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The term imposter syndrome is everywhere. People “have it”, “suffer from it” or “ have a bad case of it.” Imposter syndrome is a term that worries me. I’ve been concerned at how it’s used for quite some time. I’m hardly the only one. The original inventors of the term, Pauline Clance and Suzanne Innes, rejected […] … learn more→
Tag Archives: Imposter syndrome
Feeling like an imposter? ask “what’s going on here?”
Imposter Syndrome is not real, but I call mine ‘Berl’
I hate to fail. My failure avoidance leads to a tendency for overwork. I drive myself harder than any manager will, mostly out of fear of failure rather than love for the work. My feelings of insecurity make me a good employee and student, but they also put me at risk for burn out and […] … learn more→
‘Impostor syndrome’ trivialises the serious issue of feeling phoney in HE
Hardly a day goes by without the popular press featuring some celebrity or sportsperson recounting their supposed experience of “impostor syndrome”. Meanwhile, on social media, posting after posting suggests that “everyone has it” – but you can cure yours with this three-point action plan. Sadly, much of this material is both incorrect and belittling to those […] … learn more→
The educational power of discomfort
This semester I’m teaching a comparative-literature class that deals with the connections among empathy, literature, and human rights. As in most of my classes, which all circulate around these difficult topics, I constantly prepare my students for their own navigation into the worlds of trauma and critical understanding. The problem this semester, and most semesters, […] … learn more→
Think like an impostor, and you’ll go far in academia
Impostor syndrome is rampant throughout academia. Many of the most respected academics in the world wake up every morning convinced that they are not worthy of their position, that they are faking it, and that they will soon be found out. These sentiments can be found at every level, from undergraduate through to professor. Surely, […] … learn more→
The lies we tell ourselves
It was the time my wife and I call “silly o’clock” – early enough in the morning that the only traffic was from night-shift workers heading home. I was on my way to the airport for a red-eye flight to Belfast to do my very first guest lecture. Not that I felt ready for it. […] … learn more→
Why do I feel afraid to share my journal paper with the wider world? is this Imposter Syndrome?
I was first introduced to the imposter syndrome almost two years ago. I never thought it would touch me; I am highly confident, a high achiever (top of the class), and I thought I was doing very well as a doctoral researcher too. Something changed however in the past few months. I entered into my […] … learn more→
An Academic with imposter syndrome
On the worst days, it feels as if I exist at the bottom of a deep, dark, damp hole. There are iron rungs affixed to the side, so I grab on and begin to hoist myself up with vigor. But after hours of grueling effort, I stop, look around, and discover that somehow I have […] … learn more→
