Dealing with impostor syndrome in learning and skill development
How many times have you heard someone talk about impostor syndrome? This topic refers to a deep-seated belief that one’s achievements are undeserved, and is frequently heard in movies, television, and even among friends. But while it’s natural to second-guess yourself from time to time, experiencing imposter thoughts can have a devastating effect on your long-term goals. Science shows that engagement, learning outcomes, and professional growth efforts, not to mention health, can be compromised. So whether you’re a learner prone to impostor thinking or an L&D professional creating learning experiences for others, it’s important to understand how impostor syndrome impacts your learning and skill development. Let’s take a look.
Overview of Imposter Syndrome
The disease was first described in 1978 in association with high-achieving women; [1] Impostor syndrome now appears across demographics, situations, and industries. Characterized by chronic self-doubt and an inability to internalize success, people who experience this attribute their accomplishments to luck, timing, or other external factors. At the same time, they consider failures as evidence of their own inherent flaws, further reinforcing their anxiety, perfectionism and taking actions aimed at hiding their insecurities.
In a learning environment, impostor syndrome can manifest itself in the form of overpreparing for minor assessments, avoiding collaboration for fear of being exposed as cheating, or abandoning more specialized modules despite having previously demonstrated competency. In general, deceivers’ emotions fluctuate depending on the situation, and their activation is shaped by the learning environment. For example, professionals may feel confident and competent in their work environment, but in an online course surrounded by qualified colleagues, they may become deceptive due to social evaluation and comparison anxiety.
This is essentially a self-sabotaging loop, where imposter thoughts lead to procrastination and overpreparation, which in turn leads to anxiety attacks due to your own inadequacy. Rinse and repeat.
How does impostor syndrome hinder learning and skill acquisition?
cognitive interference
From a cognitive perspective, a fraudster’s thoughts have weight. Cognitive load theory suggests that working memory has a limited capacity. When it is consumed by intrusive self-doubt, you have fewer resources to process new information, learn, and practice new skills. Learners who worry about their perceived inadequacy experience this type of cognitive interference. This means that brain resources are diverted from attention to the task at hand due to self-monitoring.
decrease in motivation
When it comes to motivation, impostor syndrome also distorts the direction of your goals. Generally, people who are prone to impostor syndrome focus more on proving their abilities than developing them. But this can also lead to avoidance of difficult tasks, where failure can confirm self-doubt. In a learning environment, this may take the form of sticking to familiar modules, avoiding advanced topics, or not engaging fully when faced with difficulties.
perfectionism or overwork
When learners feel inadequate, it is not uncommon for them to overcompensate by spending excessive time and effort on routine work. But that doesn’t stop the impostor mindset from taking hold. Perfectionism and overwork may seem like a cure for impostor syndrome, but they can also lead to burnout, substandard learning outcomes, and even serious imposter thinking.
withdrawal, avoidance, withdrawal
Imposter syndrome can limit learner engagement by making students reluctant to ask questions, participate in discussions, or seek support, even when it would clearly be beneficial to them. You may also avoid certain tasks, especially if you think they are more difficult or complex, or involve unfamiliar topics, approaches, or technologies. Ultimately, this mix of disengagement, avoidance, and self-doubt can reduce the learner’s motivation and sense of belonging, leading to complete disengagement from the learning process.
Self-efficacy, confidence and ability loop
It may sound basic, but cultivating self-efficacy may hold the key to overcoming impostor syndrome and understanding how confidence and competence are interconnected.
Self-efficacy refers to the belief in one’s ability to successfully complete a particular task. It affects the goals we set, the efforts we make, and our resilience when we encounter setbacks. Clearly, impostor syndrome undermines self-efficacy. Even if learners do well, they underestimate their success, which not only hinders their learning progress but also hinders their development of self-confidence. Over time, this creates a discrepancy between actual and perceived ability, lowering self-efficacy and trampling true confidence-building.
For example, in professional development, if learners doubt their abilities, they may resist seeking guidance, avoid leadership training, or ignore skill development opportunities that will advance their careers. This avoidance/resistance will also reinforce their lack of confidence and perpetuate the cycle of self-doubt. Additionally, because adult professionals’ identities are closely tied to their abilities, emotional fallout can have a disastrous impact on their confidence and development efforts.
Thankfully, there are ways to increase your self-efficacy using the confidence-competence loop. Choose which one to start with. By taking small actions to build up your expertise and create tangible evidence of your abilities, you can ultimately build true confidence. Or, as the saying goes, fake it till you make it. If you act confidently regardless of your ability level, you will exceed your standards in both respects at some point.
Tips for L&D professionals to help learners combat imposter thinking
While some elements of e-learning spaces (such as leaderboards and progress dashboards) are designed to motivate learners, they can also encourage unhealthy comparisons. In some cases, learners may even assume that others are progressing effortlessly, as common struggles seen in traditional face-to-face environments are hidden in online spaces. So what can L&D professionals do to help learners?
Strengthening self-efficacy through strengths-based feedback. Behavior-focused feedback that emphasizes what learners have done well counters the idea that success comes by luck and reinforces a realistic sense of competence. Emphasize the importance of process, not goals. Shifting attention away from the end result and placing more emphasis on the value of the learning process, as tackling and overcoming challenges is what builds competency and confidence. Use collaborative learning tools. Foster real-world social proof by creating learning spaces that are conducive to communication and collaboration. Seeing others frustrated by similar challenges makes the struggle seem normal. It can also negate the illusion of instant mastery by others. Normalize the experience through support systems and guidance. The idea of a scammer is not unique. Create a space for learners to discuss common challenges and receive guidance from mentors and peers. It helps them feel a sense of belonging and break the cycle of doubt.
conclusion
We hope this article has provided you with some information about the signs of impostor syndrome. Don’t forget to reach out to your support system if you need to. After all, it’s a very common human experience, and knowing how it impacts learning and skill development is important for learners and L&D professionals alike. After all, the goal is to foster a healthy learning space where everyone feels competent, confident, and capable.
reference:
[1] The impostor phenomenon in high-achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic interventions.
