IMPOSTOR SYNDROME: THE NEGATIVE SIDE OF DOUBTING
At some point in our evolutionary history we humans became aware of our own existence. That moment was a milestone of knowledge, the first step in transforming our lives into something other than a simple biological process. This advance would, apparently, bring eternal happiness and would allow us to develop all of our mental capacities in an unlimited way. At last the world would be in our hands. (Well, maybe it would be more precise to say “in our brains”:)
However, shortly after, we realized that self-conscious had not brought as many advantages as we had thought. Suddenly, we also discovered that we were mortals and, unlike the replicant Roy Batty in the film “Blade Runner”, we did not know who our creator was in order to ask him for some explanation. Faced with our own mortality, we began to have doubts about the real meaning of life. Then, a great existential emptiness began to take hold of us.
Thousand of years later, humans continue being mortals and have not found their creator yet. During this time we have done great things: fire, the wheel, language, electricity, mastering flight, travelling to the moon, creating music …but we also have done bad things: wars, contemporary art, plastic, leaded gas, reality shows, Donald Trump’s victory…
In general, our quality of life has improved a lot. We have gone from living in uncomfortable caves without cable TV to having a clothes dryer in our homes. But in some aspects, such as the emotional sphere, we continue being similar to our ancestors: we continue sharing the same basic feelings of fear, anger, sadness and doubt.
Impostor Syndrome comes from doubt, from an overwhelming feeling that drives you to think that you are an absolute fraud who does not know how to do anything. The term was invented by psychologists Suzanna Imes and Pauline Rose Clance in the 1970s. This syndrome can appear in different ways and can affect anyone no matter if they are rich, handsome, tall or conduct a successful late night show.
Impostor Syndrome is a common feeling among the majority of UX designers, who throughout their career probably experience it several times. The fact of having to master different disciplines within the UX field, besides needing to constantly update their skills, is not easy and requires high standards of performance, especially if the current job market is demanding a thousands of requirements and abilities that only a few talented people have.
Human beings are not perfect, but sometimes we forget this and want to look like ideal creatures who live in a permanent state of happiness. Just look at some social media accounts where many people only show the beautiful and glamorous parts of their lives. In my opinion that desire to pretend that others see us as awesome winners all the time is an unrealistic desire that goes against our true essence.
I am not an expert on this subject nor have a magic wand to solve all the problems, but I think that, from time to time, humans need to look in the mirror and see that they are imperfect. Because, after all, living is not just about being rich and having a swimming pool full of playboy bunnies, it also consists in making mistakes, making bad decisions, and getting angry or failing.
Designing, like life, implies living both good and bad moments. Impostor Syndrome is a small obstacle on the road that must not stop of keeping on walking, because as the Spanish poet Antonio Machado said “Traveler, there is no road, you make your own path as you walk”.
