Incompetent people tend to see themselves as not just competent, but highly competent. So, at any rate, holds the theory of the “Dunning-Kruger effect,” previously featured here on Open Culture. But does the converse also hold: do highly competent people tend to see themselves as incompetent? That would seem to be an implication of what’s been called “impostor syndrome,” a persistent sense of inadequacy relative to one’s status or position, unsupported by any objective evidence. If you yourself have been afflicted with that condition, it may be a tad hasty to take it as a sign of your own effectiveness, but as the Harvard Business School’s Arthur C. Brooks explains in the clip above, it may nonetheless benefit you to lean into it.
“What all strivers I’ve ever met have in common is that, the higher they climb and the more success they have, the more insecure they feel in their own success because they’re not quite sure that they’ve earned it or deserve it,” Brooks says. Ironically, in his experience, “people who deserve success through hard work and merit and personal responsibility are not quite sure they deserve it, and the people who don’t deserve it are often the people who are actually most sure that they do.”
In that last group are possessors of the so-called “dark triad” traits: narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. A “good, normal, healthy person,” by contrast, will naturally wonder if they really merit the promotions, rewards, and accolades they receive, and if they’re truly up to each task ahead.
To combat impostor syndrome, Brooks recommends you “understand it, keep up to date with it, and keep trying to get better at the things you’re not good at yet.” Humanity’s general negativity bias may keep most of us suspecting that we’ve been overestimated, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore the opportunities for genuine self-improvement that such feelings present. “The truth is, if things are really, really rough for you, you’re not all weaknesses, and if things are going really well for you, you’re not all strengths.” It just happens that at some times, everyone focuses on the former, and at other times, the latter, and what’s important is not to let yourself be too heavily influenced in either case. Perhaps you can stay grounded by bearing in mind a couple of trusty old adages: that nobody’s perfect, and that you do, sometimes, have to fake it ’til you make it.
Related content:
Why Incompetent People Think They’re Competent: The Dunning-Kruger Effect, Explained
Why Overconfidence Is Our Most Dangerous Cognitive Bias
There Are Eight Forms of Intelligence, Not Just One: Which Apply to You?
The Surprising Power of Boredom: It Lets You Confront Big Questions & Give Life Meaning
Based in Seoul, Colin Marshall writes and broadcasts on cities, language, and culture. He’s the author of the newsletter Books on Cities as well as the books 한국 요약 금지 (No Summarizing Korea) and Korean Newtro. Follow him on the social network formerly known as Twitter at @colinmarshall.
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