Are you someone who likes to do everything by yourself? Do you find yourself micromanaging all the time? Has anyone told you that you cannot delegate tasks to others? If all this sounds like you, you must read on. This article might help you better understand some of the things related to perfectionism and imposter syndrome. Did you recently find yourself searching on Google “what is Imposter Syndrome?” or “what is social anxiety” to assess if you are going through something similar? If yes, then let’s start by understanding the concept of imposter syndrome. Defining it in a simple language, it is a syndrome where people doubt their own abilities and achievements. They feel that they are frauds and do not accept their accomplishments easily. They also question their accolades and are not sure if they really deserve them.
But what is the relationship between perfectionism and imposter syndrome? Does one lead to the other? Let’s check that out in the next section!
Does Imposter Syndrome Always Follow Perfectionism?
If you hold very high standards for yourself, you are likely to be on the right path toward productivity and success. However, an obsession with doing everything perfectly might lead to the creation of unreachable goals. When these goals are not achieved, it might result in you feeling worthless or incompetent, finally leading to imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome begins with self-doubt and often makes a person get a feeling of being a total fraud even if the reality says something else. However, for every person, perfectionism can be defined differently. Therefore, even if everyone around them says that they have done a great job, they might still have self-doubts and may believe otherwise. If you are someone who is suffering from perfectionism, you can consider therapy for perfectionism which will help you understand that it’s okay to not be perfect.
Perfectionists And Individualists: The People Most Affected By The Imposter Syndrome
At least once in their lives, seven out of ten people have been affected by a condition known as the imposter syndrome, which causes those who suffer from it to not feel successful and live with a constant feeling of dissatisfaction. The term was coined by two clinical psychologists in 1978, Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes, after having worked for years with women who did not feel successful despite having a history of professional and academic success. However, the picture is not yet classified as a mental struggle.
In recent years, the phenomenon has especially impacted the work environment, with workers, especially women, suffering the greatest proportion, harming aspects such as productivity, safety, and self-esteem in their professional development. Those who tend to feel this way can be more perfectionistic, have high goals, are not satisfied with their achievements, and have individualistic personalities and tend to reject help because they believe they may lose their worth.
The “Imposter Syndrome”: Why Being A Perfectionist Can Affect Your Quality Of Life?
Those who are perfectionists, afraid of failure and put excessive pressure on themselves to achieve their goals are at greater risk of suffering from the imposter syndrome. It is a psychological condition that affects up to 70% of people at some point in their lives. Moreover, it is a picture that usually occurs in people with high performance. People who suffer from it have difficulty accepting their achievements on their own merits since they attribute them to external factors. This leads to the development of insecurity or the fear of being perceived as an impostor at work. This condition can lead to consequences such as work blockage.
A study carried out by the University of Salzburg (Austria) concluded that most of those affected see their professional careers as limited, have lower salaries, fewer promotions than their peers with similar experience, and have more problems finding a job. Currently, there is excessive pressure to achieve new goals, which never ends; our self-esteem is more and more linked to achievement. This, added to the lack of clear and positive feedback from the environment, generates great confusion in people when it comes to differentiating constructive criticism from unjustified criticism.
A report carried out by the University of Cincinnati (USA) highlighted that men are 18 percent less likely to suffer from impostor syndrome and that 2 out of every three women have experienced it at some point in their lives. The UOC’s teachers developed a series of tips with the aim of helping those affected to overcome this syndrome. They advised writing down the achievements and skills obtained in a list to recognize the value of each one.
On the other hand, they highlighted the importance of surrounding oneself with loved ones and remembering with them the successes achieved. Likewise, they explained that false errors must be detected, and those aspects that are considered poorly resolved must be noted down in order to submit them to a realistic evaluation. Finally, they pointed out that the experience should be shared to help other people with less training and learn from failure.
Conclusion
Perfectionism is considered a good thing, but it might lead to some real psychological issues. If you feel you are going through something similar, it is the right time to get in touch with me. I have worked with a host of people and helped them realize their true worth. Being a licensed counselor and life coach, I can offer some great tips and tricks to deal with your day-to-day problems in the most hassle-free manner. The overall aim is to help you understand your worth so that you can lead a confident life. Various powerful and actionable tools can help you get over all your insecurities and anxieties. However, the first step is to accept that you need help and there is nothing wrong with that, and as you get more open to seeking help, you will be closer to finding solutions. So, if you are feeling overwhelmed with certain situations in life, just get in touch with me, and I will be happy to help you in every possible way.
