| There is a disquieting trend emerging among women | | | | starts talking, give your gremlin a form in your mind - |
| particularly - that of feeling like a fraud at work, along | | | | and then either try some violence on it, or try |
| with the accompanying fear and anxiety about being | | | | metaphorically putting it in a box and hiding it under the |
| "found out".The Scientific EvidenceThis trend has been | | | | bed.Gremlin-Bash 2: Imagine your gremlin in your mind |
| investigated scientifically only relatively recently, with | | | | and then imagine him/her/it shrinking into the distance, |
| studies beginning in the seventies, with findings that the | | | | with the associated voice getting quieter and further |
| people who suffered from this syndrome had | | | | away.Gremlin-Bash 3: Talk to your gremlin - say thank |
| significantly high levels of self-doubt and an inability to | | | | you for your opinion, but...Frankly your gremlin is there |
| internalise their success (Clance & Imes, 1978). Further | | | | to protect you from hurting yourself - so it does have |
| research has shown that there is a link between the | | | | a function, but it can frequently overstep its mandate. |
| Impostor Syndrome and high Neuroticism and low | | | | Get it back to the stage at which is does its job, but |
| Conscientiousness on the Five Factor Model of | | | | you can over-rule it at any point.AffirmationsA very |
| Personality (which are Openness, Conscientiousness, | | | | simple technique, but one which is often not explained |
| Extraversion, Agreeableness, & Neuroticism), and | | | | properly - it is not just about saying something to |
| depression and anxiety were particularly important | | | | yourself several times every morning, you have to |
| characteristics of those with imposter feelings as well | | | | imagine it in every way and integrate it into your life. |
| as low self-discipline and perceived competence | | | | The easiest way to learn how to be confident is to |
| (Bernard, Dollinger & Ramaniah, 2002). This implies that | | | | act confidently. Think about which behaviours you |
| there is a tendency for those who score high on | | | | want to have and try them out. It can be difficult to |
| Neuroticism and low on Conscientiousness to develop | | | | remember to do them all day long, so integrate some |
| this syndrome, not that there is a necessarily causal | | | | triggers into your daily routine to help you remember |
| link between the two.In English Please?Enough of the | | | | (such as a special ring, pair of shoes, photo, etc that |
| science, basically what we have is a set of | | | | you'll notice throughout the day and which will make |
| characteristics that you may find rather familiar: | | | | you remember). If your affirmation is "I am a confident |
| depression, anxiety, fear, neuroticism, low self-discipline | | | | woman", imagine yourself acting confidently in a variety |
| and a distorted view of reality (the latter particularly | | | | of different situations and also set up triggers so that |
| through not being able to recognise achievements for | | | | you keep practising throughout the day - every day. It |
| what they are and instead attributing them to sheer | | | | takes 12 weeks to ingrain a habit, so don't expect |
| luck). While that list is still rather technical, if you think | | | | instant results - there is no such thing.The Swish |
| that you are not 'worthy' for your position at work and | | | | TechniqueThis is a wonderfully simple NLP (that's |
| dread being found out, you have classic symptoms of | | | | Neuro-Linguistic Programming) technique that allows |
| the syndrome.How many people have it and who are | | | | you to change your thought processes and your |
| they?What you might not realise is quite how | | | | beliefs.The Basic Technique1. Identify Context. Pick a |
| pervasive this syndrome is: it is estimated that 30% of | | | | situation that induces the undesirable feelings - where |
| the population has some form of this, and that it is | | | | or when would you like to behave differently?2. |
| cross-cultural to the extent that it appears so long as | | | | Identify Cue Image. What do you see in the chosen |
| people have gone beyond the basic need for survival. | | | | situation just before you start doing the behaviour or |
| You don't see this in people who either are imposters | | | | start the thought process you don't like? Imagine |
| or who have not achieved a high level of success (of | | | | actually being in the situation, first person narrative.3. |
| course that latter is subjective, so difficult to pin down). | | | | Create Outcome Image. See yourself acting/thinking in |
| Generally there is a higher tendency for women to | | | | the way you would like to behave/think. In the case of |
| display symptoms, but it is not unknown for men to | | | | thoughts, what associated feelings do you want to |
| develop it. You can particularly see it in high achievers, | | | | have (a good feeling in your belly, a lack of tension in |
| and the higher incidence in women I would suggest | | | | your forehead etc). In the case of actions, imagine |
| might be due to the pressure to 'have it all' - the career | | | | yourself doing what you wish you could do instead |
| and the home life and its associated pressures.How | | | | (such as speaking confidently, or not getting frozen in |
| does it develop?It has been suggested that it develops | | | | the style of the metaphorical rabbit in headlights).4. |
| when children who are told by their parents that they | | | | Swish. Starting with the Cue Image in your mind, big |
| are wonderful, then meet a challenge (either by being | | | | and bright. Then put a small dark image of the |
| put in a bigger pond, or by simply encountering a | | | | Outcome Picture in the lower right corner of your |
| subject which they take a while to understand and | | | | vision. The small image becomes bigger and brighter |
| 'get') and start getting the feeling that they may | | | | and cover the cue image (which in turn will get dim and |
| actually not be wonderful, but instead may be average | | | | small and shrink into nothing).When you try this for the |
| or, worse, stupid. External proof of achievements is | | | | first time, take your time with imposing the new picture |
| dismissed and instead it is assumed that any success | | | | onto the old picture. When you've tried it a few times |
| is due to luck or through their contacts. Since nothing is | | | | you need to do the Swish very quickly - it has to |
| ever without a bit of luck, and rarely without asking | | | | happen in less than a second in your mind for it to be |
| someone you know for help, this is a really vicious | | | | effective.5. Blank Out Screen or open your eyes6. |
| circle.So what to do?There are many things that you | | | | Repeat the Swish five more times.7. Test yourself: try |
| can do to work on the self-doubt and low confidence, | | | | and recall the initial picture again - if the swish has |
| among which are reality-checking, gremlin-squishing, | | | | worked, it should be quite difficult to recall as you have |
| affirmations, and the swish technique. You may want | | | | trained your mind to replace that image with another - |
| to look for more information on these and similar | | | | your Outcome Image.While this technique needs to be |
| techniques: try the internet and you might want to look | | | | practiced at home before you can use it at work, it is |
| at the links on my website: CheckingThis is a simple as | | | | very useful as it takes, literally, one second to do.You |
| it sounds: you check whether what you're saying is | | | | can also use this for many other situations in which |
| true or not. If you say that you're not qualified to do | | | | you have self-esteem problems, you can use it for |
| whatever it is, check whether you are or not - and | | | | any set of beliefs you don't want to have anymore. |
| give due respect to your training and experience. If you | | | | The greatest thing about it is its swiftness to use. In |
| got a 2:1, but constantly wish you got a first (or | | | | less than the time it takes to take a breath you can |
| equivalent situation), give yourself a break! A 2:1 is | | | | have done at least one swish.Fraud ControlThe most |
| good. Likewise, if you compare yourself with others all | | | | important part of personal development, not just |
| the time, catch yourself and stop. It serves no purpose | | | | improving confidence levels, is that you need to |
| as you can never know what other people are thinking | | | | recognise which techniques suit you best - not all of |
| unless they say so (and then you can never know | | | | the ones above may suit you, so do some research |
| whether that's the truth or not). Give yourself a pep | | | | and find ones that do. Then you must keep going, |
| talk and stop wasting your time beating yourself | | | | keep motivated and really try to integrate these new |
| up.Gremlin-SquishingAlso known as Gremlin-Bashing, | | | | beliefs into your life. A half-hearted attempt is almost |
| this series of techniques allows you to separate that | | | | as bad as no attempt at all.ReferencesBernard, N. S., |
| voice in your head that says 'you'll fail' and take a stick | | | | Dollinger, S. J., & Ramaniah, N. V. (2002) Applying the |
| to it. Frequently the first hurdle for those following this | | | | Big Five Personality Factors to the Impostor |
| technique is that you don't notice when that voice | | | | Phenomenon. Journal of Personality Assessment, Vol. |
| comes into your head and takes over. You might want | | | | 78, 2, 321-333Clance, P. R. & Imes, S. A. (1978) The |
| to try writing down a list of your skills and failings and | | | | impostor phenomenon in high achieving women: |
| seeing which ones really aren't true - the ones that | | | | Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychotherapy: |
| make you feel self-conscious or depressed tend to be | | | | Theory, Research and Practice, 15, 241-247. |
| your gremlin talking.Gremlin-Bash 1: When your gremlin | | | | |