“Those who have no feeling of belonging are much more likely to feel impostor syndrome”
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September is now on our doors, and with it the new academic year. Like many students who fly the family nest, one of my readers is worried about his new life at university. She is the first in her family to attend higher education and is sure that she will find it difficult to integrate.
Over the past 20 years, psychologists have come to recognize the many ways whose sense of belonging to someone can damage their well-being. Fortunately, this research also offers some ways to mitigate these feelings – strategies that can benefit anyone who suffers from the impostor syndrome, or the fear that we do not deserve our success.
One of the first things to remember is that your emotions will fluctuate wildly. Studies show that those who do not have the feeling of belonging are much more likely to feel impostor syndrome. One day, you are sure you have found your niche; The next one, you feel drifting due to negative comments that let you question your competence.
To capture this, psychologists ask people to assess statements like: “When something bad happens, I think I may not belong to this institution.” As you can expect, the feeling of belonging tends to be more vulnerable to external influences in people from ethnic minorities, girls and women taking STEM materials and first generation students – and this has important consequences. People with these concerns can be less motivated and perform less well in exams. The increase in stress can also be wreaking havoc on physical health, leading to more visits to the doctor.
Gregory Walton at the University of Stanford in California has been researching research in this area, testing many strategies to strengthen the sense of student belonging. Interventions take the form of stories from former students who described their anxieties and how they overcome them. Then, participants write about their concerns and the strategies they use to feel more comfortable. The advantages can be observed short and long-term, improving grades and well-being for years.
As Walton explains in his recent book Ordinary magicWe can all use these principles. A good first step is to identify an experience that has let you ask if you belong to your community. You then explain to a listener why you feel like that, without judgment, before generating an alternative interpretation.
Suppose you have the impression of having been socially despised, you may wonder if it is the result of snobbery on your history. But it is just as possible that the person who ordered you simply spent a bad day, or maybe they just have a terrible personality. Anyway, their opinions do not reflect those of everyone around you.
As your confidence increases, you can better engage with the community in question – until, hopefully, you wonder why you have already felt out of words.
David Robson is a award -winning scientific writer and author of Connection laws: 13 social strategies that will transform your life
In addition to describing the psychology of belonging, the book by Gregory Walton Ordinary Magic: the science of the way we can make a big change with small acts provides practical strategies to overcome mental obstacles in our personal and professional life.
For other projects, visit Newscientist.com/maker
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