Typically, high-performing students are deemed responsible and admirable by their teachers and peers alike. In reality, many exemplary students struggle with feelings of self-doubt.
Imposter syndrome is a behavioral health phenomenon in which someone struggles with feelings of fraudulence and inadequacy in areas of success.
Whether it be academics, sports, music or other areas, the “best” individuals find themselves unable to acknowledge their achievements, seeing themselves as imposters in a position they do not deserve.
This seemingly harmless disbelief can manifest into very real consequences. “We think that the kids who have it all are okay. And they’re one of the biggest at-risk populations in our culture, and we don’t talk about it because it looks good. … It looks like they have it all,” explained psychology teacher Ann Berger.
For people with imposter syndrome, the two responses to responsibilities are clear: overpreparation and procrastination. In the former, people incorrectly perceive a need to work harder than their peers to achieve the same results, leading to a view of themselves as less knowledgeable and capable. In the latter, the self-appointed role of an imposter comes from a fear of being exposed for their frantic scrambling before a deadline.
Beneath these situations are even more phenomena of an objectively incorrect mindset. Perfectionism; super-heroism; atychiphobia, the fear of failure, and achievemephobia, the fear of success, are common mindsets among people constantly grasping to be the best or stay at the top.
In extracurriculars, selective auditions and tryouts breed a sense of incompetence and unworthiness in those who make the cut. “I don’t really think of myself as ‘the best’ or highest-achieving. I work hard, but it’s strange to be praised when I feel no different or better than other students,” shared junior Tanya Rastogi, Iowa All-State choir and band member and Scholastic Gold Medal winner for poetry.
In academics, imposter syndrome continues to pervade. AP and honors students may be left feeling undeserving and wondering when their incapacity will be found out. Especially in areas of perceived weakness, students overwork themselves to “make up” for the notion that everyone else is exemplary and more knowledgeable than them. If success is their goal, they have to outdo their peers.
This race to the top is reflective of the ambitious and often cutthroat nature of honors classes and college applications. “We’re living under the premise of the illusion of scarcity. That there’s a limited amount of joy, a limited amount of success so I have to be good at everything and I have to take advantage of every opportunity to be the best. … When we do that we’re becoming hyper-competitive and that is why we feel ‘I am not measuring up,’” analyzed Berger.
Students begin working hard with the purpose of success instead of true motivation and interest in learning. Even when they do succeed, the constant pressure and questioning of oneself doesn’t allow them any respite. Psychologically, living in this state can result in low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, burnout and even personality disorders.
The procrastination side of imposter syndrome presents even more dangers. At PV, the consequences of imposter syndrome not only affect students, but they have hit teachers as well.
With the rise of AI use in schools, students have cheated and plagiarized on countless assignments, especially essays and writing tasks. Some of the typically trustworthy “honors” students feel forced to resort to lying to maintain their grades, as they do not trust their own abilities to perform well.
Because of these alarming developments, teachers are tasked with the extra work of checking for plagiarism. Frustrated with wasting time dealing with academic dishonesty, many teachers have resorted to in-class and paper assignments.
While students may appear successful, many fail to reconcile their achievements with their perceptions of themselves. Those with the highest grades may, in reality, be barely able to handle their assignments and activities, considering themselves less worthy of success and placing themselves as imposters within the group of “truly-deserving” and “smart” students.
However, teachers and adults commonly fail to check in which these students. Good grades are assumed to be correlated with responsibility, stability and happiness when the truth is that honors students are actually more likely to suffer from mental health issues.
Efforts to address the mental health of teens are present and growing, but more focus on alleviating the stress and anxiety of top performers in academics and extracurriculars is necessary.
