How Your Impostor Syndrome Is Derived from a Toxic Supremacy Worldview
You'll never find satisfaction in success until you change your fundamental ideology
If you mention the term “impostor syndrome” to most writers, they immediately start to nod their head in understanding.
“Every time I publish an article, I’m gripped with this sense that I don’t belong.”
“I feel like I’m going to be ‘exposed’ and expelled from the group.”
Impostor syndrome is sometimes confused with normal anxiety. If you’ve worked hard on something, you might think it’s natural to fear rejection.
Hey everyone! Gentle reminder that this publication is reader supported! I super duper need your sponsorship! Here’s a 40% discount code, there are more options below!
But what if I told you that’s not the case at all? Would you be astounded to hear that there are people in other parts of the world who look at American impostor syndrome and see it as an indication of a deeply flawed worldview?
In my experience, it’s too often the case that Americans settle into the assumption that the way we do things in this country is consistent with the rest of the world.
It’s not.
I’ve been fortunate in that I was able to spend a decade in Peru. One of the most profound aspects of that experience was that it allowed me to peel back the layers of my own social perception. I consider myself to be a pretty astute individual, but it takes years to learn how to see the world through a different cultural lens.
One of the things that astounded me about living in Peru was how willing people were to make themselves vulnerable. I’d see little kids get up and dance. I’d see young people stand up on a stage and sing. I’d see adults go to the park to show off their artwork.
I kept waiting for one of them to exhibit the telltale signs of crippling impostor syndrome, but none of them did.
Why do you think that is?
Over the last few years, I’ve been studying America’s racial hierarchy. Although it can be uncomfortable, I think it’s important that we attempt to understand the various social mechanisms in place that maintain a system of inequality.
Why is it that some people are allowed to succeed and others are made to fail?
There are those who like to argue that success is derived from merit. But if that’s the case, why is our society unwilling to explore these issues? Why do people become uncomfortable when you propose discussing Black history in public schools? Why is the concept of “diversity” a modern target for censorship? Why do we exclude some histories and academic theories in favor of elevating others?
Why do we consider some people and ideas to be “impostors” that are undeserving of any accolades?
Americans are hardwired to believe various justifications for exclusion. When it comes to writers, this manifests as “impostor” syndrome. You get a feeling of unease not because you don’t have faith in your work, but because you believe that you don’t belong to the privileged group that deserves success.
When I was growing up, I never participated in any team sports. I’m a pretty good athlete and I’ve enjoyed doing team sports as an adult, but I never even tried to go out for grade school or high school teams.
What held me back?
Impostor syndrome.
I had the sense that I didn’t “belong” on the team. Those spots were reserved for the kids who were part of a different social group. They were the ones who were “entitled” to the reverence that’s provided to school athletes who represent the community.
Many of the people I talk to about school sports harbor some resentment. There are always complaints that teams are chosen through the influence of “politics” rather than ability. If I say, “The starting quarterback is the coach’s son,” what does that lead you to assume?
The supremacy mindset is the idea that some groups of people are inherently superior to others, and therefore deserve all the benefits a society has to offer.
Entitlement is also a problem among American writers, although you probably don’t get to hang out in the social circles that would expose you to writers like that. Still, you hear from them. You might not have made the connection that entitled writers never experience impostor syndrome.
As far as they’re concerned, they’re the ones who “deserve” the six figure book deals. They’re the ones who “deserve” representation. They have no qualms whatsoever about pushing other writers out of their way.
They feel they are superior to the rest of us.
The trouble is, their attitude has nothing to do with the merit of their work. Instead, it comes from their inclusion in a completely different social sphere.
Had I not spent a decade in Peru, I never would have recognized any of this. But what I discovered in Peru was a community that was less committed to competition and more committed to encouragement and support. There are societies that exist in the world that aren’t based on exclusion, but are instead based on mutual prosperity.
People who live in those societies don’t have to contend with crushing impostor syndrome.
What’s interesting about this idea is that it demonstrates how the supremacy mindset causes you anxiety even if you’re not a designated target of oppression.
I’m a straight, cisgender, white man. I’m the beneficiary of every advantage this society has to offer. Yet I still have to grapple with impostor syndrome. I believe that anxious feeling represents my discomfort with the supremacy worldview that is the backbone of American ideology.
We’re all indoctrinated with the supremacy mindset. We’re told that our nation is “the best.” We’re lectured about “American exceptionalism.” These ideas are meant to cultivate national pride, but we should also spend time contemplating the harm they cause.
Americans aren’t content to simply make a living as a writer. It’s not good enough to be the best writer in your town, or your state, or even your country. As Americans, we settle for nothing less than to be the greatest writer in all of human history. That’s the supremacy objective we unconsciously set for ourselves.
We never even pause to consider how absurd it is.
Consider how much trends change over time. Consider how much language changes. The expectation that you can write something that will be of any interest a couple years from now is ridiculous. We know this to be true since we discourage academics from citing references that are out of date. Yet we still subject ourselves to “impostor” anxiety if we fail to write something that might endure the test of time.
Many writers spend their lives fleeing the discomfort of impostor syndrome. They think that all they need to do is get their big break, or make a huge amount of money, and they’ll finally be able to live with themselves. But they’re going about it all wrong. Success will not liberate you from this terrible feeling.
Instead, you have to reject the supremacy mindset.
Writers have to discard the viewpoint of exclusion and embrace the idea that everyone deserves to share their story. Your impostor syndrome is a result of knowing, deep down, that our system is flawed and you wouldn’t want to succeed within this framework even if the gatekeepers would have you (which they won’t).
Give up the deeply flawed belief that your work has to be “the best.” Instead, focus on sharing the authentic you. Once you release your anxiety and focus on the joy, you’ll discover the secret to creating enduring works of beauty!
“I'd rather Be Writing” exists because of your generous support. If you have the means please consider upgrading to a paid sponsorship. I have payment tiers starting at as little as twenty dollars a year. I'm so happy you're here, and I'm looking forward to sharing more thoughts with you tomorrow.
My CoSchedule referral link
Here’s my referral link to my preferred headline analyzer tool. If you sign up through this, it’s another way to support this newsletter (thank you).
It is my conviction that Americans' sense of entitlement and that superiority myth that you mentioned, Walter, makes them susceptible to the grievance politics that the right has used so well.
Those types want everything good, they want quality and easy availability, they want it cheap and they don't wanna pay taxes. WTF? And if they are unable to access these, they are ripe for the blame game. "It must be those lazy people of color," never mind that more recipients of government subsidy are white, and "it must be those damn immigrants taking 'Murican jobs," which we know is a fallacy. "It must be those fucking libtards, or the woke, or the trans" or whomever they are guided to blame. So they vote conservative, while the conservatives gleefully fleece them with regressive tax policies, tariffs, relentless cutting of social spending that these idiots benefit from without realizing it, and reverse Robin Hood our populace, taking from the middle and lower classes while giving tax breaks to the very top. This is the biggest political bamboozle in American history. And it goes on relentlessly.
"The supremacy mindset is the idea that some groups of people are inherently superior to others, and therefore deserve all the benefits a society has to offer."
In that sense, though, it's not just an American thing. In Canada, we just had an election where one of the parties was led by a delusional madman who tried to copy Trump's philosophy to get where he wanted to be. (Fortunately, his party lost, and he even lost his own Parliamentary seat, so it's clear, with the exception of certain mostly rural pocket universes, that Canada doesn't fall for that kind of extremist right-wing jive).