I think I now know whatâs another of my problems. As if the demands of being a textbook INTJ arenât quite enough, I believe I may be suffering from what pop psychology calls the âImposter Phenomenonâ. In a moment of revelation and relief I came across the term (I forgot how I got there) and sniffed these out, which have very much hit home:
The extreme mismatch between objective evidence of accomplishment and a personâs self-evaluation to the extent it seriously interferes with their ability to realize their potential.
Despite outstanding academic and professional accomplishments, women who experience the imposter phenomenon persists in believing that they are really not bright and have fooled anyone who thinks otherwise. Numerous achievements, which one might expect to provide ample object evidence of superior intellectual functioning, do not appear to affect the impostor belief.
(Also mentions upbringing, the family environment and expectations as possible factors in perpetuating the phenomenon.)
Unmasking the imposter phenomenon:
An occasional bout of insecurity isnât necessarily detrimental â for some people, self-doubt is the pointy stick they use to prod themselves to redouble their efforts and, in the end, spur themselves to greater success. But for others, these feelings of inadequacy â even among people with solid records of achievement â are persistent, poisoning their every accomplishment with an overwhelming fear of being found incompetent.
Aye, over-preparing, over-analysing. Goodâs never good enough. It might have contributed in no small part to the lack of blog posts in recent times, and the extreme slow pace of progress in many of the things Iâve been trying to do. The more I read and research, the more aware I become of my ignorance of everything. Was it Socrates who said âI know nothing except the fact of my ignoranceâ?
*shrugs* Now⌠whatâs the treatment?