The purpose of this presentation is to discuss Social Connectedness and Imposter Syndrome (also known as imposter phenomenon/intellectual self-doubt/fraud syndrome/or impostorism), a term coined by Clance and Imes (1978), analyze factors that may impact individual perception/influence Imposter Syndrome, discuss themes of Social Connectedness that may impact Imposter Syndrome, and implement/reflect on a plan of action to address Imposter Syndrome.
An Analysis Predictors of Imposter Syndrome and Social Connectedness
1. AN ANALYSIS: PREDICTORS OF
IMPOSTER SYNDROME AND
SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS
ROMONA BANKS
2022 UAGC PSYCH CLUB WINTER SYMPOSIUM
FEBRUARY 1-4, 2022
2. AGENDA
Define and discuss Social Connectedness and
Imposter Syndrome
Analyze factors of Imposter Syndrome
Discuss themes of Social Connectedness
Implement a plan of action
3. SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS AND IMPOSTER SYNDROME
SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS
“The measure of how people come
together and interact” (Wikipedia, para 1,
n.d.).
“The relationships people have with
others and the benefits these relationships
can bring to the individual as well as to
society” (Social Report, para 1, 2010).
IMPOSTER SYNDROME
Self-perceived intellectual phoniness
(Clance & Imes, 1978)
“Impostor experience may be
accompanied by anxiety, stress,
rumination, or depression” (Wikipedia,
2022, section 2).
5. IMPOSTER SYNDROME
There is confusion between approval and love and worthiness
Sympathy based on ethnicity as opposed to merits
Self-doubt with new challenges
Every task must be complete with perfection
Procrastination
6. SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS
STUDENT
Limit distractions
Set aside time
Communicate with your professor
Create a calendar
Use school resources
Join a school organization
INSTRUCTOR
High-Touch is more important than High-Tech
Establish social presence
Use technology intentionally
The power of external resources
Make expectations explicit
Fun playfulness and the unexpected
Login regularly
Personal feedback
7. 10 STEPS YOU CAN USE TO OVERCOME
IMPOSTER SYNDROME
8. SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS AS AN AFFIRMATION:
FACING IMPOSTER FEELINGS
FACING IMPOSTER FEELINGS
We should think like a non-imposter
Talk about it
Self-validation
A sense of belonging
Focus on the positive things
Failures are a part of life
Mistakes happen
Find your own niche and use it to guide your thinking
Visualize the glass half-full
For every milestone reward yourself
AMY CUDDY
9. A PLAN OF ACTION
INSPIRATIONS
Believe in yourself! Have faith in your
abilities! Without a humble but reasonable
confidence in your own powers you cannot be
successful or happy. ~Norman Vincent Peale
"One small positive thought can change your
whole day." - Zig Ziglar
It's always too early to quit. ~Norman Vincent
Peale
TAKEAWAYS
Talk to our mentor
Don’t compare ourselves to others
Recognize our expertise
Remember what we do well
Remember we are not perfect
Complete and celebrate each task/milestone
Change our way of thinking
Seek a mentor (Weir, 2013)
10. REFERENCES
Achor, S. (2020). Shawn Achor. https://www.shawnachor.com/
Clance, P. R., & Imes, S. A. (1978). The imposter phenomenon in high achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic
intervention. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 15(3), 241–247. https://mpowir.org/wp-
content/uploads/2010/02/Download-IP-in-High-Achieving-Women.pdf
Educause. (2013). 8 Lessons learned from teaching online. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp4BG4Me7TU
Franceschi, A. (2018). Permission to Try: 11 Things You Need to Hear When You’re Scared to Change Your Life.
https://www.amazon.com/Permission-Try-Things-Scared-Change/dp/1732685908
Padlet. (2022). https://padlet.com
QuickTalks. (2016). Amy Cuddy: More confidence in 2 minutes (Condensed Talk).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7dWsJ-mEyI
Small, G. (2010). Can Exercise Cure Depression? https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-
bootcamp/201009/can-exercise-cure-depression
TED. (2012). Your body language may shape who you are: Amy Cuddy [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks-
_Mh1QhMc
The Social Report. (2010). Social connectedness. http://socialreport.msd.govt.nz/social-connectedness/
TxDLA. (2021). Keep-Connecting. https://www.txdla.org/keep-connecting/
U.S. News Education. (2014). Online students share time management tips.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2FWUQvlths
Weir, K. (2013). Feel like a fraud? gradPSYCH, 11(4), 24. https://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2013/11/fraud
Wikipedia. (2022). Imposter syndrome. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome
Wikipedia. (2015). Social connectedness. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_connectedness
Young, V. (2017). Imposter Syndrome Speaker Video: Valerie Young. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVe_tuz74tg
Young, V. (2022). 10 Steps You Can Use To Overcome Imposter Syndrome. https://impostorsyndrome.com/10-steps-
overcome-impostor/
Editor's Notes
Greetings Everyone, it is my pleasure to present to you, An Analysis: Predictors of Imposter Syndrome and Social Connectedness.
The purpose of this presentation is to discuss Social Connectedness and Imposter Syndrome (also known as imposter phenomenon/intellectual self-doubt/fraud syndrome/or impostorism), a term coined by Clance and Imes (1978), analyze factors that may impact individual perception/influence Imposter Syndrome, discuss themes of Social Connectedness that may impact Imposter Syndrome, and implement/reflect on a plan of action to address Imposter Syndrome.
Social Connectedness is “the measure of how people come together and interact” (Wikipedia, para 1, n.d.). “The relationships people have with others and the benefits these relationships can bring to the individual as well as to society” (Social Report, para 1, 2010). “Clance and Imes defined impostor phenomenon as an individual experience of self-perceived intellectual phoniness. Impostor experience may be accompanied by anxiety, stress, rumination (a repetitive negative thought pattern), or depression”(Wikipedia, 2022, section 2).” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome https://mpowir.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Download-IP-in-High-Achieving-Women.pdf
“The researchers investigated the prevalence of this internal experience by interviewing a sample of 150 high-achieving women in the United States. All of the participants had been formally recognized for their professional excellence by colleagues, and had displayed academic achievement through degrees earned and standardized testing scores. Despite the consistent evidence of external validation, these women lacked the internal acknowledgement of their accomplishments. The participants explained how their success was a result of luck, and others simply overestimating their intelligence and abilities. Clance and Imes believed that this mental framework for impostor phenomenon developed from factors such as: gender stereotypes, early family dynamics, culture, and attribution style. The researchers determined that the women who experienced impostor phenomenon showcased symptoms related to depression, generalized anxiety, and low self-confidence “ (Wikipedia, 2022, section 2). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome https://mpowir.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Download-IP-in-High-Achieving-Women.pdf
Weir (2013) discusses Clance and Imes’s findings in detail, she states “impostor phenomenon occurs among high achievers who are unable to internalize and accept their success. They often attribute their accomplishments to luck rather than to ability, and fear that others will eventually unmask them as a fraud” (para 5). Weir highlights/elaborates on the following factors from Clance and Imes’s study: *there is confusion between approval and love and worthiness (it can be perceived that self-worth is predicated on achievements)
*there may be individuals that perceive their progress is based on their ethnicity as opposed to their merits, due to the sympathy received from others
*Most people experience some self-doubt when facing new challenges *So-called impostors think every task they tackle has to be done perfectly, and they rarely ask for help.
*An impostor may procrastinate, putting off an assignment out of fear that he or she won't be able to complete it to the necessary high standards. Or he or she may overprepare, spending much more time on a task than is necessary” (Weir, 2013, para 19).
Weir (2013) reflects on Clance and Imes’s theory as follows; “still, differing in any way from the majority of your peers — whether by race, gender, sexual orientation or some other characteristic — can fuel the sense of being a fraud. As the youngest student in her program, Mary Guerrant, a second-year doctoral student of community psychology at North Carolina State University, dealt with strong impostor feelings during her first year of study. Her position as a gay woman interested in studying LGBT issues compounded those feelings, she believes” (para 15). "My interests are so different from those of my colleagues, which at times can feel incredibly isolating and further fuels my feelings of inadequacy," she says (Weir, 2013, para 15). I believe that an experience such as Mary’s is the reason why we should create environments that have a sense of belonging and invite collaboration, those that provide an environment of Social Connectedness.
As previously stated, Social Connectedness is defined as “the relationships people have with others and the benefits these relationships can bring to the individual as well as to society” (Social Report, para 1, 2010). In reflection of the previously mentioned definition, I believe there are practices that both students and instructors can adopt to establish Social Connectedness. For example, Young’s (2010) theme regarding Imposter Syndrome supports a student’s ability to *limit distractions by finding a quiet space that may allow them to focus/collaborate more effectively with others (doing so may also decrease stress /anxiety) *set aside time to do mindfulness activities with/without others, doing so may allow them to be more aware of any imbalances that may need to be addressed *communicate with the professor, doing so allows a rapport to be established through a professional relationship *create a calendar/a routine schedule, doing so allows more control of time with self/family/tasks/others *use school resources (the Writing Center, Library and several other resources are free and may serve as a guidance) and *join a school organization (doing so can establish a sense of belonging). Additionally, the following factors for instructors are also supported by Young’s theme: *implementing high-touch elements (being personable and approachable with communication efforts) *establishing social presence (continuous contact/communication throughout the course) *using technology intentionally (i.e. the use of apps/supplemental resources that further explain a theory/concept or the use of an app to engage students during the weeks that a discussion post may not be provided/the use of an app to motivate student engagement) *the use of external resources, this may establish further conversation/student engagement when/if the student provides further elaboration about a topic *making expectations explicit (instructions may be clear to the instructor, however, if students are continuously inquiring about a particular assignment, it may be a good practice to provide an example/provide a little more detail regarding that assignment in the Announcements for that week *proactive engagement within the course (i.e. the Access report in Canvas provides a snapshot of pages that the student visits within the course, this tool can be used to further assist/inform the student) *logging into the course regularly and *providing personal feedback to students.
Young (2020) shares several themes that provide encouragement to overcome Imposter Syndrome, they are as follows: 1. Break the silence/talk about it 2. Separate feelings from facts (realize that how you feel about yourself on any given day is not who you are) 3. Recognize when you should feel fraudulent (belongingness fosters confidence, keep in mind that social stereotypes may impact competence and intelligence) 4. Accentuate the positive (you may have a distinctive work ethic that causes you to care deeply about the quality of your work, however, you must forgive yourself when mistakes happen because they are not intentional) 5. Develop a healthy response to failure and mistake making (I heard it stated previously that failures are not individuals/final, they are experiences) 6. Right the rules (we are not perfect beings, there will be times that we will not know the answer/will need to ask for help, we need to be comfortable with knowing this is okay) 7. Develop a new script (i.e. Tell the negative committee that meets inside your head to sit down and shut up! – Ann Bradford) 8. Visualize success (Vision Boards are wonderful reminders of our goals and they also stimulate some sense of motivation) 9. Reward yourself (this is a form of self-validation that begets more success and confidence) lastly, 10. Fake it ‘til you make it (Young, 2020) Imposter Syndrome Speaker Video: Valerie Young. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVe_tuz74tg
The Quick Talks (2016) video shares a condensed version of Amy Cuddy’s TED Talk regarding confidence. Social Connectedness as an affirmation: Facing Imposter feelings. Weir (2013) elaborated on Young’s (2020) themes and Clance and Imes’s (1978) study of Imposter Syndrome. I have explored each perspective and would like to elaborate on each finding collectively as follows: 1. We should think like a non-imposter (we need to have/develop a growth mindset) 2. Talk about it (find someone you can confide in about your feelings) 3. Self-validation (Do you really know who you are and what you are capable of? If not, do like Amy Cuddy suggests, a “Power Pose” and fake it ‘til you make it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks-_Mh1QhMc&vl=en 4. A sense of belonging (establish your self-confidence/esteem with daily affirmations and by joining in on the community conversation) 5. Focus on the positive things, doing so may produce positive energy that attracts positive outcomes 6. Failures are a part of life, learn from them and move on (failures are not final, they are experiences that create wisdom) 7. Mistakes happen, we don’t know it all (I believe that I know a lot about some things, but I do not know EVERYTHING, I am a work in progress and learning everyday), we should learn from our mistakes and move on 8. Find your own niche and use it to guide your thinking/path 9. Visualize the glass half-full/create a vision board/read daily inspirational quotes (doing so may create positive thoughts and attract positive energy) 10. For every milestone reward yourself, this action may provide the influence/energy to complete future milestones 11. Build your confidence as you go, put each of the previously mentioned elements into practice.
I would also like to share 3 additional tips/resources that may be beneficial in facing Imposter Syndrome: (1) Annie Franceschi’s book Permission to Try, (2) Shawn Achor’s suggestion of writing down 3 positive things every day and meditating on those positives; (3) Creating your own electronic Vision Board with Padlet My glorious padlet and (4) exercise, it can lift the mood (Small, 2010).
In closing, if we want to change our way of thinking/our self-perception, we should talk to our mentor, we shouldn’t compare ourself to others, recognize our expertise (and then assist others), remember what we do well (a realistic assessment of our abilities: we should notate things we are really good at and things that may need work), no one is perfect (remember, all that we can do is what we can do, we should do the task to the best of our ability and celebrate that milestone), change our way of thinking (from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, although the negative things may be easier to believe/accept we should try our best to focus on the positive, it is possible that doing so will continue to attract positive outcomes), seek a mentor/ally/advocate, we need someone that we can talk/vent to or reassure us of our talents/expertise/goals (Weir, 2013). What is one plan of action that we can implement today to address Imposter Syndrome?
Thank you for taking the time to view my presentation, An Analysis: Predictors of Imposter Syndrome and Social Connectedness, it is greatly appreciated!
