Imposter Syndrome in BIPOC and First-Generation Professionals
That moment when you’ve earned every step, but your mind keeps asking for the receipts. You belong here.
Imposter syndrome. So what is it?
You may have heard the term more recently on social media. Maybe your friends have talked about it, and maybe you have experienced it yourself.
What Is Imposter Syndrome?
First described by Dr. Pauline Rose Clance and Dr. Suzanne Imes in 1978, imposter syndrome is the phenomenon of doubting your own hard-won success, feeling like a fraud in certain spaces, believing that at any moment you will be found out because you don't belong, and that you only got there through sheer luck.
Imposter syndrome prevents successful people from internalizing and enjoying their accomplishments. This kind of self-destructive thought pattern can also infiltrate our feelings about ourselves, our abilities, how we navigate our relationships with people, and the decisions we make. Feeling like a fraud makes us think our skills and experience are subpar, that they are not special and therefore don't deserve the recognition.
These intense feelings can prevent us from applying to jobs, sharing our ideas, taking risks to pursue our passions, asking about our performance because our fears will be confirmed, and acknowledging our successes even in the face of positive feedback. This is more than just being humble or modest. These crippling thoughts convince us that we can't triumph in comparison to others, and that we are imposters.
Common Signs of Imposter Syndrome
An inability to realistically assess your competence and skills
Attributing your success to external factors
Berating or criticizing your performance
Fear of not living up to expectations
Overachieving
Perfectionism
Procrastination
Sabotaging your own success
Feeling underqualified and in over your head
Setting unrealistic goals and feeling disappointed when you can't reach them
How Common Is Imposter Syndrome?
More common than many people realize. A systematic review in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found prevalence rates ranging from 9% to as high as 82%, depending on which screening tool was used. The same review found rates were particularly high among ethnic minority groups. So if you are wondering whether you are the only one, the research is clear that you are not.
Why Imposter Syndrome Hits BIPOC Professionals Differently
In many arenas, diverse voices can be minimal to nearly absent. The lack of role models for marginalized communities affects feelings of belonging in many environments, but most notably at work.
As a woman and a woman of color myself, I can say that we are at increased risk of experiencing imposter syndrome when we don't see examples of people in powerful positions who look like us, share our background, and are succeeding.
BIPOC who have experienced racism and systemic oppression have been directly or indirectly told that they are not deserving of success. Systemic racism can reinforce imposter syndrome, because it involves wrestling with both internal and external societal messages about our abilities. Grappling with microaggressions, being questioned about your credentials or which university you attended, and being asked whether you are in your job because of affirmative action are all examples of how systems reinforce imposter syndrome for BIPOC professionals.
When You Are the First in Your Family
For children of immigrants and first-generation college graduates or professionals, it can be a source of pride to be the first in your family to accomplish your goals. There is also an invisible pressure that comes with it.
Earning accolades and accomplishments can bring feelings of overwhelm. That invisible pressure can make you feel as if your whole family's success depends on you, because you are expected to represent your family. Children of immigrants who are succeeding may feel their dreams are not entirely their own. Their family may adopt the dream too, so they are not only succeeding for themselves but for everyone.
Because of upbringing, many have also internalized that hard work is the only way to get ahead. BIPOC professionals experiencing imposter syndrome may normalize overworking, fear financial or emotional instability if they don't overwork, avoid complaining, and work harder to prove themselves. First-generation professionals may strive toward perfection or procrastinate, and may be overly concerned that one mistake could ruin it all and confirm again that they do not belong.
The lack of other BIPOC role models in these spaces, combined with the fear of never being good enough, compounds the feeling of being a fraud. As a BIPOC individual starts to experience success and earn achievements, they can second-guess their decisions, minimize what they have earned, and doubt the praise and positive feedback they receive, because the narrative says their success must not be valid.
Imposter Syndrome or a Toxic Workplace?
This distinction matters, and it is worth pausing on.
There are work environments where a person's work is genuinely devalued and not recognized. That is different from imposter syndrome, which is more of an internal process. If your contributions are actually being overlooked, dismissed, or credited to someone else, the problem is not your perception. Naming which one you are dealing with changes what you do about it, so it is worth getting clear on before you conclude that the doubt is coming from inside.
Where Imposter Syndrome Comes From
If you are struggling with imposter syndrome, be curious about its origins.
Often we learned and believed the narratives we told ourselves somewhere along the way. As a child, you may have felt like an imposter if you were frequently compared to a sibling, relative, or family friend. Perhaps you learned that it wasn't allowed to feel sadness or anger, and that you had to "wear a mask" and present yourself as calm and collected.
Those childhood messages could have started something like this: "Look how friendly and outgoing your cousin is, why can't you be more like her?" Or, "Look at all I've accomplished, you need to be like me and work harder."
Being frequently compared to others is one possible route to developing imposter syndrome. When you have it, you tend to prioritize other people's needs, and their impressions of you, over caring for yourself. Those early messages may have shaped a narrative that your needs are small in comparison to everyone else's, which can evolve into people-pleasing, perfectionism, and avoiding investing in yourself.
How to Manage Imposter Syndrome
Now that you have an idea of what imposter syndrome is and how it may show up in your life, what do you do with it?
Recognize that feelings aren't facts. Feelings of inadequacy are normal from time to time, but that doesn't make them true. When we consider how long we have held on to a way of thinking, we tend to mistake familiarity for accuracy.
Talk about how you're feeling. Either with a trusted friend or a mental health professional. It might feel scary to open up, and you may feel the urge to avoid it altogether, but you will likely learn that you are not alone in this.
Challenge the standards you are measuring yourself against. Whose standards are they, and would you apply them to anyone else?
Notice your negative thought patterns. If you find them, speak kindly to yourself the way you would speak to a friend.
Question the thought directly. Are your thoughts accurate? Could you be exaggerating? What evidence do you have to reach that conclusion? Challenging automatic negative assumptions is how you interrupt the habit.
Keep failure in perspective and focus on what you learned from it. Explore your own beliefs about failure and success.
Document your accomplishments. Review and update your resume. Those are undisputed facts about what you have actually done. When self-doubt shows up, go back and read the list.
Take the leap anyway. You may not have all the answers, and you may still be waiting for the perfect moment. Don't think you deserve that job? Apply for it anyway. Don't think your article is good enough? Publish it anyway. Don't think you deserve a raise? Negotiate anyway.
Don't tell yourself no. Make them tell you no.
Take a first step, no matter how small or trivial you think it is. Avoiding the issue can breed resentment down the line. Make the change and be temporarily uncomfortable. As you start to make changes, you will begin to trust yourself more and build your confidence.
Taking that first step is easier with someone in your corner. If you want help getting underneath the narratives driving the doubt, book a free consultation.
What Workplaces Need to Do
Although imposter syndrome can feel like an exclusively internal process, work environments and leaders need to address the external side too: the systemic bias and racism that make it worse.
Inclusive workplaces that address systemic bias and build equity help BIPOC employees thrive, channel self-doubt into motivation, and feel respected and valued. This is not solely an individual's problem to solve, and it should not be framed as one.
Successful people we place on a pedestal experience imposter syndrome too, they are very much like us and there’s no fundamental difference.
You Are Not Alone
You may feel like the only one with imposter syndrome. You are not.
We observe others from the outside, and because we don't know them intimately, we are often left to conclude that we are simply different, when really we are just sitting alone with our insecurities. We are not seeing the complete picture. The successful people we place on a pedestal have experienced imposter syndrome too. They are very much like us, and there is no fundamental difference.
Continue to call out your imposter syndrome thinking. Once you are aware of it, you can harness those thoughts, take action, and stop being paralyzed by them. You will notice yourself making better choices about setting boundaries and allowing more space for self-care. You will begin to appreciate what you have achieved and what you have done for yourself.If you find yourself paralized or stuck in anxious thoughts, learn tips to cope in my post: Coping Skills for Anxiety: 14 Things to Try When It Feels Overwhelming.
Ease and freedom from imposter syndrome are within reach when you commit to your well-being. You are capable, you belong in your space, and as a BIPOC professional you are making room for others like you.
When to Talk to a Therapist
If imposter syndrome is blocking your success, let's work through those barriers so you can thrive. Book your consultation below.
Frequntly Asked Questions
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Imposter syndrome is the experience of doubting your own success and feeling like a fraud, despite evidence of your competence, along with a persistent fear of being found out. It was first described by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978. It is a widely recognized experience rather than a formal clinical diagnosis.
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Because it is reinforced from the outside as well as the inside. A systematic review found prevalence was particularly high among ethnic minority groups. When you rarely see people who share your background in senior roles, and when your credentials are questioned in ways your colleagues' are not, the internal doubt is receiving regular external confirmation
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Imposter syndrome is an internal process: your contributions are recognized, and you cannot take them in. A toxic or inequitable workplace is external: your work is genuinely devalued, dismissed, or credited elsewhere. Both can be true at once, but the response is different for each, so it is worth distinguishing them rather than assuming the doubt originates with you.
