Impostor Syndrome

Writer: Alicia Bao

About a year ago I heard about “Impostor Syndrome” from my sister. It was an interesting concept- thinking that you’re inferior to everyone else in the room, that you don’t deserve to be there, or that you aren’t qualified- like an impostor. I’m not an expert on this, but I’m assuming that it applies in regards to your achievements.

Once this was brought to my attention, I realized how often it applied to me, if not any others, and that it translated into the way I acted. I would be nervous, constantly fidget, etc. and it still affects me. When someone is confident in themselves, they’re called narcissists, prideful, attention-seeking and rude. Of course, taken to be extremes, it can be negative, but how is it a crime to recognize that you deserve it, or that you are amazing? This has been drilled into our brains since we were young, and unfortunately, usually applies to females. I, as well as many of my friends, have fallen victim to this stereotype many, many times. Whenever someone compliments us, we feel the need to immediately deny it, to deflect attention, to return a compliment. While the last one isn’t bad at all- you shouldn’t feel compelled in any way to compliment someone.

All that is what I believe contributes to Impostor Syndrome. After doing shallow research on google, I realized how common it is, and how negative it can be. One interesting video I watched on this was made by TedEd- one of my favorite YouTube channels. The video’s link will be posted at the end of the article. Impostor Syndrome affects almost everyone- even Maya Angelou and Albert Einstein felt this, despite their many accomplishments in life. Accomplishments aren’t the only things that Impostor Syndrome affects, it can be applied to your daily life. If you got accepted into a schools, it’s very likely you didn’t think you deserved it, even after achieving good grades.

It’s very important to recognize that this type of thinking is TOXIC. Impostor Syndrome doesn’t even have to apply to achievements- it can just be in daily life. Impostor Syndrome should not be the norm. You deserve the recognition, awards, achievements and anything else.

TedEd Video on Imposter Syndrome- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQUxL4Jm1Lo&ab_channel=TED-Ed