When you are going through the doctorate, given the great pressure you have, you usually go through several emotional stages that can affect the student's performance, so it is important to anticipate, so you can work on them and not get carried away by these situations.
This is the case of Impostor Syndrome, which could be defined as the feeling that everyone knows or can handle a situation better than the person who suffers from it. This situation is exhausting, since the individual is frequently in a continuous effort so that no one discovers that he really is not worthy of the position he occupies, either in the doctorate or his work.
7 out of 10 people suffer from Impostor Syndrome, and according to the International Journal of Behavioral Science, more than 70% of people are affected by thoughts of believing they are impostors in the workplace at some point in their lives.
This psychological phenomenon impacts people's self-esteem, since it is perceived that they are not worthy of the merits that are credited to them. In addition, several levels can be recognized in this syndrome, so it is vital to be able to identify it in time in order to work on it and not impact mental health.
The typologies of the Syndrome are:
1. The perfectionist.
They are stubborn that everything must be perfect. Their goals are very high, and is controlling.
In general, it is very difficult for them to delegate tasks, it is never enough work for them.
2. The expert.
They are constantly afraid of being found out for not knowing about something. They are vulnerable, which makes them continually search, study, and learn because of that feeling that they do not have the necessary knowledge.
3. The superhero.
They demand themselves, they don't know how to say no. They work over hours. Furthermore, they only think about working and being recognized for what they do.
4. The individualist.
Neither help nor seek help. He supports himself by doing his job. You feel vulnerable when asking for help.
5. The genius.
They feel that they must do everything right the first time and if they don't, they have failed. If things don't go according to plan, they quickly become stressed.
It is key, when you make the life decision to do a doctorate, to understand that, like everything in life, many things do not go as planned, that you must try several times and even change your destiny, but what is not negotiable is to stop believing in yourself. You must learn to trust yourself and your abilities. In this sense, always staying mentally active, learning about new topics, is very necessary, and this is where continuous learning is, without a doubt, the best way to always keep your mind busy.