Imposter Syndrome: What It Is and How It Disproportionately Affects Athletes & Minorities
by Melinda Burris
Dr. Kristin Keim is a Clinical and Sport Psychologist, a Member of the US Olympic Committee Sport Psychology and Mental Training Registry, and the founder of Keim Performance Consulting. Dr. Keim specializes in working with athletes in all stages of their career, with coaches, trainers, athletic directors, and teams — helping them work through team dynamics and facilitate team-building exercises to improve team cohesion.1
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Kiem draws on her personal experience as a former competitive cyclist for insights into the importance of having the mind and body in healthy alignment to enable athletes to consistently deliver their best possible performance. Keim’s practice is dedicated to a holistic approach to wellbeing with the acknowledgment that athletes are much more than the sum total of their career stats. Keim emphasizes the importance of recognizing as a society that high-profile athletes “are people who have feelings and imperfections” just like the rest of us.1 However, Keim’s clinical experience bears out research findings that many competitive athletes struggle with being defined not by who they are as individuals but by their “athlete identity”1 — that is, who or what the public, the press, social media, and even their school, teammates or sponsoring organization expect them to be.1
The pressure of living up to unrealistic expectations placed upon them leaves athletes particularly susceptible to mental health struggles including anxiety, depression, and even suicidal ideations when they have a disappointing showing and sense that they have let their teammates and fanbase down.2 These feelings of inadequacy are exacerbated by the public ridicule and even bullying that is so rampant in society today thanks to trolls on social media.
Imposter Syndrome: The Fear of Being “Found Out”
The concept of imposter syndrome or imposter phenomenon was first introduced through clinical research conducted in the 1970s by psychologists Suzanne Imes and Pauline Rose Clance. Their findings were initially published in 1978, and when Clance published her book, “The Imposter Phenomenon” in 1985, the term came into widespread use.3
Impostor phenomenon describes a syndrome that occurs among athletes and other high achievers who are unable to take credit for their success, often attributing wins or attaining goals to luck or the assistance of others. At the same time, those who suffer from this condition have strong feelings of inadequacy and have difficulty dealing with a perceived inability to “measure up” to the expectations of others.3
While imposter syndrome is not an officially recognized diagnosis listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (the DSM), it is acknowledged by a preponderance of clinical psychologists. Research indicates approximately 70% of Americans are affected by this condition.4 The original research by Clance emphasized the link between imposter syndrome and high-achieving professional women. However, more recent investigative studies have established the feelings of inadequacy that characterize the syndrome exist across genders, age, and ethnic and racial groups and occur in a variety of elite professions. 3
The Prevalence of Imposter Syndrome
An article published last year in the Journal of General Internal Medicine investigated the findings of a comprehensive literature review of 62 studies (involving 14,161 participants) focused on imposter syndrome. That interest in imposter syndrome has grown in recent years is illustrated by the fact that half of the studies reviewed were published in the six years prior to the article’s publication (2014-2020).
The literature review shows an increased prevalence of imposter syndrome among ethnic minorities. The condition is common among men and women and occurs across a wide range of age groups. The study concludes that depression and anxiety are common comorbidities of imposter syndrome. The condition is frequently linked to diminished job performance, decreased job satisfaction, and burnout.
The Impact of Imposter Syndrome on Minority Students
As previously mentioned, the 2020 study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that imposter syndrome disproportionately impacts people of color. The authors specifically noted that “African American, Asian American, and Latino/a American college students” frequently experience “impostor feelings [that] are significantly negatively correlated with psychological well-being and positively correlated with depression and anxiety.”3 Several dynamics that may contribute to this predisposition to developing imposter syndrome are identified, including psychological stress caused by deficient financial funds to cover educational costs and thus the need to work while going to school, racial discrimination in multiple forms including the perpetuation of negative stereotypes, and feelings of pressure and isolation due to being the first person in their family to pursue higher education.3
The problem is compounded by the fact that these populations are less likely to seek and receive appropriate care due to lack of health insurance, socioeconomic disparities, and not being properly informed about imposter syndrome, its underlying causes, and the importance of getting assistance for the depression and anxiety that so often go hand in hand with this condition.
The Struggle Is Real
If you still find it difficult to imagine a world-class athlete or celebrity you admire for their skill, success, and the acclaim they have received for their unparalleled abilities privately struggling with a debilitating fear that they are a fraud and unworthy of the praise and accolades they have received, consider this quote from renowned American poet and civil right leader Maya Angelou:
Without a doubt, Angelou left a lasting legacy of literary works, making her mark not only as a poet but also as an essayist, playwright, and autobiographer. She also had a prolific and varied Hollywood career as a dancer, singer, composer, and actress. Angelou was a trailblazer, becoming the first black female director. A trove of accolades was bestowed upon Angelou during her long career, including more than 50 honorary degrees and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor that can be given to a US citizen.
Yet, despite the magnitude of her success and acknowledgment of her contribution to the arts and the civil rights movement, Angelou’s words show that she felt herself unworthy of the acclaim that came her way and felt that at any moment she would be unmasked, “found out” and exposed as an imposter. If a woman with decades of life experience and success in multiple career endeavors openly expressed nagging feelings of self-doubt, how much greater must the struggle be for young high school and college athletes to feel confident in their abilities and self-worth both on and off the field?
Coping Strategies
Lack of self-confidence and the inability to make the connection between your abilities and hard work training to your athletic successes foster the feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness that are the hallmarks of imposter syndrome. The pressure to not let down your team, school, and fans only intensify these feelings of inadequacy and can become crippling if not dealt with appropriately and promptly.
While there is currently no recommended medical treatment for imposter syndrome, it is recognized that depression and anxiety, two conditions that are frequent comorbidities of imposter syndrome, can be detrimental to your mental health, particularly if left untreated. Therefore, those suffering from imposter syndrome should be thoroughly screened for any indications of these illnesses and treated accordingly by a health care professional.
People with imposter syndrome often feel isolated as they tend to believe they are the only ones experiencing feelings of such unworthiness. Group therapy sessions where they can hear others discuss their struggles with these same doubts and share their own inner turmoil often prove therapeutic.3
Dr. Kiem recommends athletes struggling with imposter syndrome work to establish “their own unique athletic identity” distinguishing themselves from a brand or how public perception may try to categorize them. Kiem advises that “the key is to balance [your athletic identity] with other identities and interests. I often tell my athletes that in life we wear multiple hats and when they are training and racing that is when they wear the athlete hat. Outside of that they get to wear whatever hat they choose.”2
The takeaway is that like everyone else, athletes are multifaceted individuals; in a society where we enjoy deifying elite athletes, it is easy to strip them of their humanity and see them as one-dimensional beings who are defined solely by their accomplishments in their chosen sport. That is detrimental to their conception of self-worth and unless they embrace the advice of Kiem and accept the challenge to continue to grow as fully rounded individuals, they can easily fall prey to imposter syndrome.
References:
- com. (2021).
- Keim, K. (8 October 2006). Striving to be Worthy: Athletic Identity and Imposter Syndrome.
- Bravata, D. M., et al., (2020). Prevalence, Predictors, and Treatment of Impostor Syndrome: A Systematic Review.
- Steger, K. (15 October 2020). Imposter Syndrome and Its Impact on Mental Health and Performance in College Athletics – Part One.
5. Poetry Foundation. (2021). Maya Angelou.
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