unveiling the impostor
TRANSCRIPT
Unveiling the impostor: How to deal with lack of self-confidence in academia?
Loïc Le Tiran @astroloicIAG – Universidade de São Paulo
October 1st 2014
Disclaimer
I am not a psychologist.
All this is documented, but necessarily quite subjective.
Feel free to ask anything during the talk
Academia: a fulfilling life…
• Mastery• Autonomy• Purpose
About Mastery, Autonomy , Purpose:See www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation
Stress
Competition
Pressure
The more you know…..
Tough job market
Isolation
Constant fear of being judged
Social Isolation
Mental health difficulties (depression, anxiety…)
Feeling of not being good enough
"We need to start recognizing that mental health is not a matter of crazy vs. sane. It's a matter of happy vs. unhappy, productive vs. destructive, and no different than physical
well-being.“from http://mahalonottrash.blogspot.com.br/2013/04/compilation-of-mental-health-posts.html
Why is this subject is important for ALL of us?
Why is confidence important?
To feel good about yourself.
To apply to a high-level position To ask questions
To discuss To go to (and enjoy!) conferences
It helps to avoid procrastination
Can lead to success, by helping you to step out from your
comfort zone
The impostor phenomenonLack of confidence in academia (also called impostor feelings or often impostor syndrome)
Let’s put a name on this.
Psychotherapy Theory, Research and Practice Volume 15, #3, Fall 1978
Some (redundant) definitions
“A distorted, unrealistic, unsustainable definition of competence”
“An overwhelming sense of being a fraud, a phony, of not being good enough for your job,
despite much evidence to the contrary”
“Believing that one’s accomplishments came about not through genuine ability, but as a result of having been
lucky, having worked harder than others, and having manipulated other people’s impressions.”
I thought it was a fluke, It was the same way when I walked on the campus at Yale. I
thought everybody would find out, and they'd take the Oscar back. They'd come to
my house, knocking on the door, “Excuse me, we meant to give that to someone else. That was going to Meryl Streep.”
Why would anyone want to see me again in a movie?
And I don't know how to act anyway, so why am I
doing this?
I have written eleven books, but each time I think, “uh oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re
going to find me out.”
Feel like an impostor? Take theDo you chalk your success up to luck, timing, or computer error?
Do you believe “If I can do it, anybody can”?
Do you agonize over even the smallest flaws in your work?
Are you crushed by even constructive criticism, seeing it as evidence of your “ineptness?”
When you do succeed, do you secretly feel like you fooled them again?
Do you worry that it’s just a matter of time before you’re “found out?”
Credits:
How you explain a success:
• “I got lucky”• “I was in the right place at the right
time”• “It’s because they like me”• “If I can do it, anyone can”• “They must let anybody in”• “Someone made a mistake”• “I had a lot of help”• “They are just being nice”• “They feel sorry for me”
Credits:
How you explain a success:
• “I got lucky”• “I was in the right place at the right
time”• “It’s because they like me”• “If I can do it, anyone can”• “They must let anybody in”• “Someone made a mistake”• “I had a lot of help”• “They are just being nice”• “They feel sorry for me”
Credits:
Where are you?
Credits for this slide: Prof. Meghan Grey
Credits for this slide: Prof. Meghan Grey
How to be confident
“When I lack confidence, I stop lacking confidence and be awesome instead”.Doesn’t work in real life (except for Barney Stinson*)
(*who is not a real life caracter, by the way)
How to be confident
Having someone shouting at you: “be confident!”Seriously, Barney Stinson’s method is way better.
How to be confident
There is no magic potions,
but many tips.
Toolbox: First Tip
Embrace your impostor!
Talk about it!&
Toolbox: Second Tip
Own your achievements.Make list of your achievements
(pride list, +linkedin, CV…)
Ask other people what you are good at.(+Mentorship)
Learn to separate feelings from reality
Toolbox: Third Tip
Listen (really!) &Watch your language!
Own your compliments:Internalize external validation and stop minimizing your achievements
Don’t diminish yourself!“Only”, “Just”, “I’m not a real…”
Toolbox: Others tips
Teach!
“I don’t know” is a valid answerEveryone has the right to make mistakes
Failure is an option
Happy folder
List your typical impostor situations
Down your armour
Values AffirmationFake it till you make it!
Toolbox: Power Posing
A last one… but sometimes crucial
Ask yourself:“is it me or the organizational
structure is screwed up?”
For everyone, a general rule
Feel bad, sad, depressed, unhappy? Whatever the reason, seek
counseling.
Conclusion
LEARN to enjoy your academic life NOW!
Please
“helpful”, “stupid”, “a total waste of my time”, “best talk ever”, “I slept after slide 2”…
Please give me some feedback!(even anonymously!)
Wanna discuss? Office C-312,my door is always open,at least metaphorically.
Questions/Discussion
Bibliography
Links, blogs, facebook groups, books, games, ideas, papers.
Currently on:http://goo.gl/ZvIs2x