C
onfidence in ourselves and our abilities
is something many makers question in
themselves from time to time. But a longer
lasting dip in self-confidence can keep makers
from making and sharing, and that can limit
our fun, learning, and enjoyment of sharing our
making with others.
Imposter syndrome or imposter phenomenon
and sometimes tall poppy syndrome are some
ways that society pressures people to limit
their self-expression, by stimulating feelings
of inhibition and fear about one’s abilities.
These can stop innovation, as well, if people
affected may feel too afraid or anxious of other’s
opinions of their work to share, market, or
develop their projects. A maker with imposter
syndrome might feel inhibited to exhibit a
project at a local Maker Faire, share a how-
to video or Instructable online, or even join a
makerspace to learn new skills or to teach
others what they know. This limits not just
those who wish to make and hold themselves
back, but also the rest of us who might benefit
from great inventions and contraptions as yet
unrealized that could inform new projects.
Imposter syndrome is broadly defined as
when one does not believe that one is worthy
of the position, talent, or opportunity one has
naturally or has earned through practice,
learning, and developing abilities. The term
imposter phenomenon was first coined in 1978
by psychologists Dr. Pauline R. Clance and Dr.
Adobe Stock - Nikola
Suzanne Imes to describe women’s confidence in
the workplace, but the definition was described
more broadly in 1993 by psychologist Dr. Joe
Langford and Dr. Imes as “an experience of feeling
incompetent and of having deceived others about
one’s abilities.”
Pretty much anyone trying to do something
who feels like they aren’t qualified to do it, with
or without an educational degree, fancy title, or
years of experience, can have a version of imposter
syndrome. Makers can develop it as adults, or it can
start early in childhood, if a family is unsupportive
or dismissive of a child’s talents and natural gifts
(or loses patience with them for taking apart
household things to see how they work). John
Gravois, a staff reporter at The Chronicle of Higher
Education, wrote in 2007 that in the mid-1980s, Dr.
Clance and Dr. Gail Matthews conducted a survey
on imposter phenomenon, and found that “about 70
percent of people from all walks of life —men and
women —have felt like impostors for at least some
part of their careers.”
HAMMERED DOWN NAILS
Culturally, imposter syndrome can result from
group behavior outside the family, too. Australia,
New Zealand, England, and other countries
have something called the tall poppy syndrome,
which evolved in culture to reward those who
are self-deprecating, and promote modesty in
their achievements so as not to make others feel
lesser — or threaten those in power, by being too
Making
Competence,
Making
Confidence
11
make.co
S.A. APPLIN, PH.D.
is an anthropologist
whose research explores
the domains of human
agency, algorithms, AI, and
automation in the context
of makers, social systems,
and sociability. You can find
more at @anthropunk and
PoSR.org.
WORK YOUR
WAY OUT OF
IMPOSTER
SYNDROME
WITH THESE TIPS
M78_010-15_ImposterSyndrome_F1.indd 11M78_010-15_ImposterSyndrome_F1.indd 11 7/12/21 11:00 AM7/12/21 11:00 AM
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