Imposter Phenomenon: Yep, you guessed it--I have it

Imposter phenomenon occurs when people think they are not as competent as others believe they are. After taking the Clance IP Scale, my test score showed that I frequently have imposter feelings. From discussing this phenomenon in class, listening to the podcast, and reading the article provided, this did not come as a complete surprise to me. Before graduate school I had never heard of Imposter syndrome/phenomenon. So, I had never applied this term to myself, but I did know that I had to be involved in multiple organizations, make good grades, and build quality relationships. If I did not do those things, then I was not trying hard enough, and I would not achieve my goals.  

I thought that the resources provided, especially the Clance IP Scale were very interesting. I had lower scores for situations like believing my success was luck or an error. I do believe that a lot of my accomplishments come from working hard. However, on the flipside of that I had higher scores for things like succeeding on a task even though beforehand I thought I would not do well or discounting the importance of what I have done. I tend to feel like things can always be done better.

 

I appreciated the podcast and the article for explaining some of these concepts and how to combat feelings of Imposter Phenomenon. One thing I will take with me from the podcast is the quote that went something like “the people who are nervous about the future and want to do well, we do not worry about. But the people who are not nervous, are the ones we do worry about” (I’m sure that wasn’t the direct quote but close enough!). I struggle with knowing that I can’t know everything but still trying to be able to know everything. This is an important point I need to remember for the next coming months and years. I will never be able to know everything, and that is okay! No one will ever know everything, so I need to stop comparing my depth of knowledge to others. The article also had great tips, but one sentence really stuck out to me and that was that we are not impostors but simply beginners. As an OT student and soon to be new grad, I am just a beginner.