Designing

Confidence;

A WORKSHOP ON UNMASKING THE HIDDEN STRUGGLE

WITH IMPOSTER SYNDROME

1
Welcome to
the
workshop

2
 OUR TEAM

Zoya Zainab Musharafa MK

700042276
M.sc. Clinical Psychology 700040503
Student, Msc Clinical Psychology
First semester student student, Second Semester

3
 OBJECTIVES
➔ Increase Awareness

➔ Identify Personal Imposter feelings

➔ Explore the Types

➔ Explore Causes and Triggers

➔ Discuss the Impact

➔ Coping/Overcoming Strategies

4
Table of contents
INTRODUCTION
01.

02. SYMPTOMS OF IMPOSTER SYNDROME

TYPES OF IMPOSTER SYNDROME

03.

CAUSES OF IMPOSTER SYNDROME

04.

5
Table of contents
THE IMPOSTER CYCLE
05.

06. IMPACTS OF IMPOSTER SYNDROME

07. OVERCOMING IMPOSTER SYNDROME

CONCLUSION & REFERENCES

08.
6
“I have written 11 books but each
time i think ‘Uh-oh, they are
going to find out now.I’ve run a
game on everybody,and they’re
going to find me out”

Maya Angelou

7
 Activity!
https://www.menti.com/aln9vgpf93p5

8
What is Imposter Syndrome?
Chronic feelings of self-doubt and
fear of being discovered as an
intellectual fraud despite being high
performing in objective ways.

9
01. INTRODUCTION

10
Dr. Pauline Rose Clance
Originally termed “imposter phenomenon,” in their 1978
founding study, which focused on high-achieving
women.

Dr. Suzanne Imes

11
● Two clinical psychologists, Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne
Imes, first identified in 1978.

● With imposter syndrome, a person doesn’t feel confident or

competent, regardless of what they achieve.

● Imposter syndrome is different from a healthy dose of caution

of open-mindedness.

12
But ,Humility is good right?
No person knows everything!

Humility and caution stem from an The imposter phenomenon, stems

accurate assessment of one’s own from a sense of inadequacy in the
capabilities against a complex environment despite objectively
situation. being competent.

13
14
 Imposter Syndrome may
feel like….
Self-Doubt
Nervousness

Restlessness Depression

Negative self talk Anxiety

15
 SYMPTOMS

Self- Doubt Sabotaging Self

Success

Undervaluing Setting Unrealistic

Contributions Expectations

Continuous fear of not

Attributing Success to living up to
External Factors Expectations.

Burnout 16
17
 Have you ever come
across representation
of Imposter Syndrome
in Media or Books?

18
19
Have you ever felt like
an imposter?

Let’s find out.

20
Imposter Quiz
1. Do you ever feel you don’t deserve your achievement?

2. Do you ever worry that people will find out you are secretly not
worthy?

3. After a success, do you dismiss it as just good luck or timing?

4. Do you think you have tricked others into thinking you are more
successful than you actually are?

5. Do you apologize for yourself even if you didn’t do anything wrong?

6. Do you think others overvalue your success?

21
22
 Types of Imposters

Super Hero
The Expert

Natural Genius

Perfectionist
Soloist 23
 1. The Perfectionist
● Setting Impossibly high standards for yourself and beating
yourself up when you don’t reach them.
● Underlying Emotion: Fear of losing Control.

HOW TO DEAL WITH THE PERFECTIONISM?

➔ Push yourself to act before you are ready

➔ Embrace the mantra “Progress beat Perfection”
➔ Document your accomplishments to see how well you are doing

24
 2.The Superhuman
● You feel you should be able to excel at every role you take in your life.

● Underlying emotion: fear of free time and taking time away from
work for personal fulfillment

HOW TO DEAL?
➔ Reframe failure as a learning
opportunity
➔ Seek out an experienced mentor
➔ Remind yourself that constructive
criticism is not personal

25
3.The Natural Genius
● You tell yourself that everything must be handled with ease otherwise”its not a
natural talent”.

● Underlying emotion: shame of failing

HOW TO DEAL?
➔ Appreciate great achievement requires lifelong
learning.
➔ Identify specific skills that you can improve over
time
➔ Breaks tasks into smaller more achievable chunks.

26
 4.The soloist
● You believe work must be accomplished alone and refuse to take credit if you
receive any kind of assistance.

● Underlying emotion: shame in asking for help

HOW TO DEAL?

➔ Talk about your experiences with people you

trust
➔ Purposely seek out opportunities to work on
projects with other people
➔ Make a list of people you have learned from

27
5.The Expert
● You Expect to know everything and feel ashamed when you don't.

● Underlying emotion: fear of inadequacy

How to Deal?
➔ Compare like for “like”
➔ Remind Yourself there are no gender or racial
competencies necessary for your task
➔ Mentor Junior Colleagues volunteer to engage your
inner expert.

28
 6.The Noticer
● This type can’t be proud of their work or themselves because
they immediately notice things that still aren’t perfect..

● Underlying emotion: fear of not belonging

●
● The Noticer is hyper-aware of the
competition, real or imagined, and secretly
believes that she will always miss the bar.

29
7.The Discounter
The Discounter automatically rationalizes away evidence of their own
competence, achievement, or high regard.
This type of imposter doesn’t value or trust their network of supporters very
much.They doubt the quality or level of competition in any effort that they
succeed at and are ashamed to share something that “anyone could have
done.”

Underlying emotion: not being enough

30
04. CAUSES OF IMPOSTER SYNDROM

31
FAMILY UPBRINGING

● Family dynamics can play an important role in imposter

syndrome.
● Specific parenting styles contribute to the development of
imposter syndrome.
● high levels of conflict with low amounts of support in families
may be more likely to experience imposter syndrome.

32
New work or school Opportunities
● Entering a new role can trigger impostor syndrome.

● Imposter syndrome appears to be more common when

people are going through transitions and trying new
things.

● The pressure to achieve and succeed, combined with a lack

of experience, can trigger feelings of inadequacy in these
new roles and settings.

33
Personality
● Some personality traits have been inked to a higher risk of
experiencing imposter syndrome. Some traits or
characteristics that might play a role include:

➔ Low efficacy
➔ Perfectionism
➔ Neuroticism

34
Social Anxiety
● Impostor syndrome and social anxiety may overlap.

● While the symptoms of social anxiety can fuel imposter

syndrome, it does not mean that everyone who experiences
imposter syndrome has social anxiety or vice versa.

● Imposter syndrome often causes normally non-anxious

people to experience a sense of anxiety when they are in
situations where they feel inadequate.

35
 Imposter Syndrome vs.Discrimination

Imposter Syndrome
With imposter syndrome, the Discrimination
feeling of being an outsider is Feeling like an outsider isn't
caused by internal beliefs. With necessarily a result of imposter
discrimination, the feeling is syndrome. In some cases, it can
caused by the actions of others. occur due to actual
discrimination or exclusion due
to systemic bias.

36
 Imposter Cycle
Self doubt and New project,
anxiety task or job

Anxiety,
procrastination or
Rationalization
overprepration

Project completed- sense

of brief accomplishment 37
 IMPACTS OF IMPOSTER
06. SYNDROME

38
 Impacts of Imposter syndrome
Feeling that other
. Inability to enjoy people have an
accomplishment inflated perception of Self sabotaging behaviours
your abilities

Persistent anxiety A fear that your ‘true’

about standards (reduced) abilities will be
found out
Dread and avoidance
of evaluation
Tendency to attribute
successes to external
An inability to factors, such as luck or
internalize success, accident
despite external and
objective evidence 39
 OVERCOMING
7. IMPOSTER
SYNDROME

40
 Building Self Confidence and Self
Esteem is essential in overcoming
Imposter Syndrome.

Let’s Look at some strategies that can

help you address Imposter syndrome by
boosting your Confidence and Self
Esteem
41
 Positive Self Self
talk Awareness

Self Set Realistic

Compassion goals

Celebrate
Visualization Achievement

Surround Learn from

yourself with Embrace mistakes
Positivity growth mindset
42
 SBNR technique
STOP: Allow yourself to pause

BREATH: Take a deep breath and let go of your thoughts

NOTICE: Notice and be mindful of what’s around you

REASSESS: Reevaluate the situation where you felt like an imposter

RESPOND: React intentionally, be composed, calm and your self <3

43
 Set targets - SMART
S - Specific
M - Measurable

A - Achievable

R- Relevant

T - Time measured

44
Celebrate your accomplishments

Create a list of your

accomplishments
and record it

45
Defrauding yourself

46
 Reframing negative thoughts

Negative thoughts Positive thoughts

I never win Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose

How could I make such a blunt How can i learn and grow from this
mistake experience

I can’t do this. How can i do this

47
 Activity!
Reframe the following thoughts

1) I am a mess
2) It is too hard
3) I always fail
4) I can’t do this
5) Everything is my fault
6) I am unlovable
7) I have never done this before

48
 Thought record
Record your thoughts in a journal

The text was The text was

in illegible hard to read,
In School I
Embarrassed Everyone thinks and I was
stammered hence i made
I can’t read distracted an error while
while by the
reading in reading. It will
students get better with
class noise practise
49
Positive affirmations

50
Work book on
Designing
Confidence
51
References
❏ https://www.verywellmind.com/imposter-syndrome-and-social-anxiety-disorder-4156
469

❏ https://www.scienceofpeople.com/impostor-syndrome/

❏ https://www.paulineroseclance.com/pdf/ip_high_achieving_women.pdf

❏ https://waiaustralia.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Imposter-Syndrome-Workbook-
V1..pdf

52
Scan the QR code for Feedback

53
54