The Imposter Phenomenon (now commonly referred to as imposter syndrome) was first identified in 1978 by Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes. Initially thought to affect women (we now know men suffer from imposter feelings too), it is an internal thought process which goes something like... "When will they find me out?", "Did they really mean to promote me?", "If I make a mistake it will prove I've been faking it all along". Thankfully these feelings can be overcome, with time and a little effort.
On this webpage you will find some extra information based on my own research and that of other experts - a link to the imposter phenomenon questionnaire and other useful information relating to the topic.
We are still at an early stage in understanding the impact of the Imposter Phenomenon, my interest is in understanding the most effective ways of managing those imposter feelings and passing on this information to others. I have just started my PhD research on this topic. If you are interested in keeping up to date with my research findings and musings on the topic, do sign up to receive my newsletter.
I will be running some half day workshops on "Confidence Matters", "Behind the Mask: the imposter syndrome" and "Assertiveness" as well as speaking at a campus-wide event on the imposter syndrome as part of the Sex in Science activities on 25th April. These can be booked internally.
If you are reading this having attended one of the above events and there are any issues or questions you would like to discuss please contact me. You can reach me at kate@kateatkin.com or 07779 646976.
If you would like a reminder of some of the issues we discussed, the video below is an extract of a talk I gave at Cambridge University Judge Business School and on the video page of my website you'll find more, including one from a panel discussion with Circle Co and an interview on Cambridge TV.
Finally, do have a browse around the rest of my website if you would like to know more about me and what I do. If you would like to keep in touch, then you can connect with me on LinkedIn, Twitter or sign up to receive my occasional newsletter on my home page .