Addressing the imposter syndrome in learning and skill development
How many times have you heard one of your colleagues talk about imposter syndrome? This theme, describing the persistent belief that one’s achievements are insecure, is often heard in movies, TV, and even among your friends. But while it’s natural to second-guess yourself sometimes, facing unhinged thoughts can derail your long-term goals. Science says it can undermine your engagement, learning outcomes and professional development efforts. So, whether you suffer from impersonating learning ideas or L&D professionals creating learning experiences for others, understanding how imposter syndrome affects learning and skill development is important. Let’s take a look.
An overview of imposter syndrome
Although it was first described in 1978 in relation to high-achieving women, (1) imposter syndrome now appears across demographics, contexts, and industries. Marked by chronic self-doubt and an inability to internalize success, those who experience it attribute successes to luck, timing, or other external factors. At the same time, they see failures as evidence of their inherent inadequacy, which further fuels anxiety, perfectionism, and behaviors intended to mask insecurities.
In a learning environment, imposter syndrome may manifest as over-preparation for minor assessments, avoiding collaboration for fear of being exposed as cheating, or abandoning more specialized modules despite previously demonstrating competence. In general, aversive emotions fluctuate with context, and their activation is shaped by the learning environment. For example, a professional may feel confident and competent in his work environment, but cheat in an online course surrounded by peers with credentials due to social evaluation and comparison anxiety.
It’s essentially a self-reinforcing loop where unwanted thoughts lead to procrastination or over-preparation, which in turn leads to anxiety about inadequacy. Rinse and repeat.
How does imposter syndrome disrupt learning and skill acquisition?
Cognitive intervention
From an academic perspective, imposter ideas carry weight. Cognitive load theory suggests that working memory capacity is limited. When this intrusion is consumed by self-doubt, fewer resources are left to process new information, learn, or practice new skills. Learners are anxious about their experience of inadequate inequality over such cognitive interference, meaning that their brain resources are diverted from focusing on the task to self-monitoring.
Reduction
When it comes to motivation, imposter syndrome also distorts goal orientation. In general, individuals tend to focus on proving their ability rather than developing the syndrome. But it can also cause avoidance of challenging tasks where failure can confirm self-doubt. In a learning environment, this can take the form of sticking to familiar modules, steering clear of advanced topics, or scrapping altogether when difficulties are encountered.
Perfectionism or overworking
It’s not unheard of for learners to overcompensate when they feel inadequate by investing too much time and effort into routine tasks. However, that doesn’t stop imposter ideas from popping up. While perfectionism and overwork may seem like cures for imposter syndrome, they can also lead to burnout, subpar learning outcomes, and even more severe imposter thoughts.
Avoidance, avoidance and withdrawal
Imposter syndrome can limit learners’ engagement by making them reluctant to ask questions, participate in discussions, or seek help, even when it would clearly benefit them. It can also cause them to avoid certain tasks, especially if they find them too challenging or complex, or if they involve unfamiliar topics, approaches or technologies. Ultimately, this combination of dysfunction, avoidance, and self-doubt can reduce learners’ drive and self-relationship and lead to disengagement from the learning process.
The self-efficacy and confidence coping loop
It may sound basic, but cultivating self-efficacy may be the key to overcoming imposter syndrome and understanding how confidence and competence are interconnected.
Self-efficacy refers to one’s belief in their ability to succeed in specific tasks. It affects our goals, the effort we make, and our resilience when faced with setbacks. Obviously, imposter syndrome undermines self-efficacy. Even when learners do well, they tend to underachieve, which not only holds them back in their learning progress but also prevents them from building confidence. Over time, this creates a discrepancy between their actual and perceived abilities, which can lower their self-efficacy and undermine the building of real confidence.
For example, in professional development, if a learner doubts their own competence, they may resist seeking guidance, avoid leadership training, or ignore opportunities for skill development that could advance their career. This avoidance/resistance will also reinforce their low self-confidence, which perpetuates the cycle of self-doubt. And because the identity of mature professionals is closely tied to competence, the emotional impact can be severe for their confidence as well as for their development efforts.
Thankfully, there’s a way to build self-efficacy, using the confidence contest loop. Choose one to start with. By taking small actions that develop your skills to create tangible evidence of your ability, you can eventually build real confidence. Or, fake it till you say it. Act with confidence despite your perceived level of competence, and at some point, you’ll both surpass your own standards.
Tips for L&D professionals to help learners combat imposter ideas
While some aspects of learning spaces are designed to motivate learners (leaderboards, progress dashboards, etc.), they can also encourage unhealthy comparisons. At times, learners may even assume that others are developing easily because online spaces hide shared struggles that are visible in traditional in-person environments. So, what can L&D professionals do to support their learners?
- Reinforce self-efficacy through strength-based feedback. Behavioral feedback that highlights how well learners cope with the idea that success is brought about by luck and reinforces a realistic sense of competence.
- Emphasize the process, not the goal. Shift the focus away from the end result and add more weight to the value of the learning journey because meeting and overcoming challenges is what creates competence. And confidence
- Use collaborative learning tools. Promote realistic social proof by creating learning spaces. Seeing others frustrated with similar challenges makes the struggle seem normal. It also counters the illusion of instant mastery of others.
- Normalize the experience with support systems and mentors. Imposter views are not unique. Create spaces for your learners to talk about shared challenges and seek guidance from their mentors and peers. This will help them relate and break the cycle of doubt.
The result
We hope this article provided some information about the symptoms of imposter syndrome. Remember to reach out to your support system if needed. After all, this is a very common experience, and knowing how it affects learning and skill development is important for learners and L&D professionals alike. The goal, ultimately, is to cultivate healthy learning spaces where everyone feels competent, confident and competent.
Reference:
(1) Impostor phenomenon in high-achieving women: dynamics and therapeutic interventions
