Is Your Child Struggling With “Impostor Syndrome”?

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Social-Emotional

Why does your exceptional child feel like a fraud?

Living in fear

Your gifted child may be a very high achiever and may feel that his or her own personal success is because of luck and not real skill or ability. They may even feel like a fraud. “The school and my parents say I’m gifted? What if they made a mistake? What if I really don’t have the same ability as the other gifted kids in my group? What if someone finds me out, and they pull me out of the program? What will my teacher and the other kids think about me? What if I can’t live up to others’ expectations? What if I don’t make the right decisions and others find out I’m not perfect? I have too much to lose.” Does that sound like you or your child? If so, it is not too late to develop a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset.

A Fixed Mindset

I’m either good at it or I am not.
Failure shows a limit of my abilities.
My ability is unchanging and my potential is predetermined.
When frustrated, I give up.
Feedback is personal.
I should stick to what I know that I do well.

A growth mindset

Failure is okay because it is an opportunity for me to grow.
Challenge helps me grow.
My effort and attitude can help me succeed.
If one strategy doesn’t work, I can try others or ask for help.
Feedback is constructive.
It is okay to try new things.
I will be better at some things that others.
Practice makes growth, not perfect.

And the winner is

Helping your child develop a growth mindset will help free them from fixed mindset anxieties. They don’t have to feel like an impostor forever! Embrace the struggle of being alive – that means you’re probably growing!