Introduction

For some students, entering a legal workplace for the first time can trigger a host of feelings including anxiety and fear. This is often a moment where students, lawyers and others begin identifying feelings of “imposter syndrome” or “imposter phenomena”. Often, a mix of dread, feeling ‘out of place”, not fitting in, feeling like someone made a mistake in hiring you, or waiting to be “found out” starts eating away at one’s sense of wellbeing and competence.

“Imposter phenomona” is not a diagnosable illness and is not identified as a psychiatric disorder. Rather, it is a feeling of inferiority, like you might have achieved success by accident, or that you are “a fraud”.

Journalist Sheryl Nance-Nash wrote,

“Although I haven’t worked in an office in more than 20 years, I still remember the feeling I used to have at my nine-to-five magazine job. No matter how well I did, I always felt that I wasn’t good enough for the rarefied publishing world. I didn’t come from a pedigree; I just was a hard-working black woman. I felt (and sometimes literally was) unacknowledged in the hallways, and my voice was hardly heard. It wasn’t unusual that ideas I presented at meetings got a lukewarm reception, but two meetings later someone else suggested a similar thought, which was instantly deemed a must-write story.

Even though I knew I was capable of doing the work, I was riddled with doubt. It was years later that I learned there was a term for what I felt: imposter syndrome.

You may not be able to see it around you, but imposter syndrome permeates the workplace. It’s a feeling that many people can identify with: why do I feel like a fraud even though I’m eminently qualified for this job? Despite having education and training, many have never been able to break free of doubting their worthiness and step into any a higher level of success.”

The term “imposter syndrome” has become so ubiquitous in professional circles including law school that it must be addressed here. There are many definitions of imposter syndrome, but they boil down to a few key elements. Bravata et al describe sufferers as follows: “despite their objective successes, [they] fail to internalize their accomplishments and have persistent self-doubt and fear of being exposed as a fraud or imposter.”

There are many practical tools to help address imposter syndrome or imposter phenomena. See “How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome: 14 Tests & Worksheets”, or speak with a mental health counsellor or career coach. As we explore in the next section, however, “imposter syndrome” should also be seen as a systemic rather than individual problem.

Instagram, @Litigation_God, 2022.

Problematising Imposter “Syndrome”

Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey note the problematic aspects of the idea of “imposter syndrome”. As they write,

“Imposter syndrome,” or doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud at work, is a diagnosis often given to women. But the fact that it’s considered a diagnosis at all is problematic. The concept, whose development in the ‘70s excluded the effects of systemic racism, classism, xenophobia, and other biases, took a fairly universal feeling of discomfort, second-guessing, and mild anxiety in the workplace and pathologized it, especially for women. The answer to overcoming imposter syndrome is not to fix individuals, but to create an environment that fosters a number of different leadership styles and where diversity of racial, ethnic, and gender identities is viewed as just as professional as the current model.”

Rather than self-blame, Tulyshan and Burey refocus on the institutions that do not make people feel safe or welcome. As they write,

“In truth, we don’t belong because we were never supposed to belong. Our presence in most of these spaces is a result of decades of grassroots activism and begrudgingly developed legislation. Academic institutions and corporations are still mired in the cultural inertia of the good ol’ boys’ clubs and white supremacy. Biased practices across institutions routinely stymie the ability of individuals from underrepresented groups to truly thrive.”

The answer to overcoming imposter syndrome is not to fix individuals but to create an environment that fosters a variety of leadership styles and in which diverse racial, ethnic, and gender identities are seen as just as professional as the current model, which Opie describes as usually “Eurocentric, masculine, and heteronormative.”