Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome is described by Jackson (2021) as the concept of an individual believing they are not good enough or feeling as though they don’t belong in a social or professional setting. It is the phenomenon of thinking as if what you have you do not deserve or that your success is not legitimate (Jackson, 2021). This feeling and internal thought process is something that I can identify with and relate to. I often feel as though I could be better in all aspects of life, especially within my profession. I tend to be harder on myself than anyone else in my life, and always believe I can do better. I do feel as though I identify with one of the personality types that typically experience imposter syndrome, the “natural genius” (Cuncic, 2021). There are five types of people who might experience imposter syndrome, the perfectionist, expert, natural genius, soloist, and the super person, according to Cuncic (2021). The natural genius is someone who, if not the master at something on their first try, or if it takes time to gain the skills needed for that occupation, feels as if they are just an imposter or a poser. I am still learning the ropes of the OT profession so I would not expect myself to be a master yet. However, I am someone who has been trying to get better at playing guitar for a chunk of my life. In my eyes, I am someone who does not play and if anyone asks me if I play an instrument I would say no. A handful of people might say that I do in fact play guitar based on their skill level, and yet I think about someone who is a professional musician, and because I am not at that level, I do not consider myself one or someone who plays. I am glad to have listened to Jackson (2021) speak about her experience, and that I read more about the types of imposter syndrome by Cuncic (2021) so that I can be more self aware of my own run in with this phenomenon and to address it so it does not affect my professional life as an OT.



References
Cuncic, A. (2022, November 17). How to stop feeling like an outsider when you have social anxiety. Verywell Mind. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://www.verywellmind.com/imposter-syndrome-and-social-anxiety-disorder-4156469

Jackson , D. (2021, September 22). Putting death to imposter syndrome: More than just an idea YouTube. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-XlYY0DCP8