ESL Lesson | B2 | Understanding imposter syndrome

Summary

This ESL lesson plan is designed for B2 English students to explore and discuss the concept of Imposter Syndrome. Through engaging activities, students will learn to identify feelings of fraudulence despite their achievements, understand its prevalence, and discover strategies to combat it.

This lesson helps intermediate to upper-intermediate students delve into the psychology behind self-doubt and perceived incompetence. Activities include a warm-up discussion on personal achievements and feelings, a listening task based on a video about Imposter Syndrome, and exercises to build relevant vocabulary and grammar skills.

Students will practice using modals of deduction in the past to reflect on past events and engage in a speaking practice to discuss overcoming self-doubt and supporting others. The material is crafted to foster meaningful conversation and equip students with tools to articulate these complex feelings.

Access lesson

Activities

A warm-up discussion where students reflect on personal accomplishments and any accompanying feelings of undeserving luck or self-doubt, setting the context for understanding Imposter Syndrome.
A listening comprehension exercise with a fill-in-the-blanks task, based on an insightful video that defines Imposter Syndrome, discusses its origins, and suggests ways to combat it.
A vocabulary exercise focusing on terms related to self-perception and success, such as fraudulence, incompetence, confidence, and accomplishment, using a word bank to complete sentences.
A grammar practice section explaining and applying modals of deduction in the past (must have + past participle, might/may/could have + past participle, can't/couldn't have + past participle) to analyze past situations with varying degrees of certainty.
A speaking practice session where students discuss how to combat Imposter Syndrome, share personal reflections using the target grammar, and explore ways to support peers struggling with similar feelings.

00:00:07 Even after writing eleven books and winning several prestigious awards,

00:00:11 Maya Angelou couldn’t escape the nagging doubt

00:00:14 that she hadn’t really earned her accomplishments.

00:00:18 Albert Einstein experienced something similar:

00:00:21 he described himself as an “involuntary swindler”

00:00:24 whose work didn’t deserve as much attention as it had received.

00:00:28 Accomplishments at the level of Angelou’s or Einstein’s are rare,

00:00:32 but their feeling of fraudulence is extremely common.

00:00:35 Why can’t so many of us shake feelings

00:00:37 that we haven’t earned our accomplishments,

00:00:39 or that our ideas and skills aren’t worthy of others’ attention?

00:00:43 Psychologist Pauline Rose Clance was the first to study

00:00:47 this unwarranted sense of insecurity.

00:00:49 In her work as a therapist,

00:00:50 she noticed many of her undergraduate patients shared a concern:

00:00:55 though they had high grades,

00:00:57 they didn’t believe they deserved their spots at the university.

00:01:00 Some even believed their acceptance had been an admissions error.

00:01:03 While Clance knew these fears were unfounded,

00:01:05 she could also remember feeling the exact same way in graduate school.

00:01:09 She and her patients experienced something that goes by a number of names--

00:01:13 imposter phenomenon,

00:01:14 imposter experience,

00:01:16 and imposter syndrome.

00:01:18 Together with colleague Suzanne Imes,

00:01:20 Clance first studied imposterism in female college students and faculty.

00:01:25 Their work established pervasive feelings of fraudulence in this group.

00:01:28 Since that first study,

00:01:30 the same thing has been established across gender,

00:01:32 race,

00:01:33 age,

00:01:35 and a huge range of occupations,

00:01:37 though it may be more prevalent and disproportionately affect

00:01:40 the experiences of underrepresented or disadvantaged groups.

00:01:43 To call it a syndrome is to downplay how universal it is.

00:01:47 It's not a disease or an abnormality,

00:01:50 and it isn’t necessarily tied to depression,

00:01:52 anxiety,

00:01:53 or self-esteem.

00:01:55 Where do these feelings of fraudulence come from?

00:01:57 People who are highly skilled or accomplished

00:01:59 tend to think others are just as skilled.

00:02:01 This can spiral into feelings that they don’t deserve accolades

00:02:05 and opportunities over other people.

00:02:07 And as Angelou and Einstein experienced,

00:02:09 there’s often no threshold of accomplishment

00:02:12 that puts these feelings to rest.

00:02:14 Feelings of imposterism aren’t restricted to highly skilled individuals, either.

00:02:19 Everyone is susceptible to a phenomenon known as pluralistic ignorance,

00:02:23 where we each doubt ourselves privately,

00:02:25 but believe we’re alone in thinking that way

00:02:27 because no one else voices their doubts.

00:02:30 Since it’s tough to really know how hard our peers work,

00:02:33 how difficult they find certain tasks,

00:02:36 or how much they doubt themselves,

00:02:38 there’s no easy way to dismiss feelings that we’re less capable

00:02:41 than the people around us.

00:02:43 Intense feelings of imposterism

00:02:45 can prevent people from sharing their great ideas

00:02:47 or applying for jobs and programs where they’d excel.

00:02:51 At least so far,

00:02:52 the most surefire way to combat imposter syndrome

00:02:55 is to talk about it.

00:02:56 Many people suffering from imposter syndrome

00:02:58 are afraid that if they ask about their performance,

00:03:01 their fears will be confirmed.

00:03:02 And even when they receive positive feedback,

00:03:05 it often fails to ease feelings of fraudulence.

00:03:07 But on the other hand,

00:03:09 hearing that an advisor or mentor has experienced feelings of imposterism

00:03:13 can help relieve those feelings.

00:03:14 The same goes for peers.

00:03:16 Even simply finding out there’s a term for these feelings

00:03:19 can be an incredible relief.

00:03:21 Once you’re aware of the phenomenon,

00:03:23 you can combat your own imposter syndrome

00:03:25 by collecting and revisiting positive feedback.

00:03:28 One scientist who kept blaming herself for problems in her lab

00:03:31 started to document the causes every time something went wrong.

00:03:34 Eventually, she realized most of the problems

00:03:37 came from equipment failure,

00:03:38 and came to recognize her own competence.

00:03:41 We may never be able to banish these feelings entirely,

00:03:44 but we can have open conversations about academic or professional challenges.

00:03:48 With increasing awareness of how common these experiences are,

00:03:52 perhaps we can feel freer to be frank about our feelings

00:03:55 and build confidence in some simple truths:

00:03:57 you have talent,

00:03:58 you are capable,

00:04:00 and you belong.

Vocabulary focus

The vocabulary section introduces key terms related to self-perception, achievement, and overcoming challenges. Key terms include doubt, earned, fraudulence, unwarranted, syndrome, pervasive, capable, excel, and combat. Students will learn to accurately describe feelings of perceived incompetence and lack of confidence, as well as the positive aspects of accomplishment and self-worth.

Grammar focus

This lesson concentrates on modals of deduction in the past. Students will learn to express different levels of certainty about past events using structures such as must have + past participle (for strong certainty), might/may/could have + past participle (for possibility), and can't/couldn't have + past participle (for impossibility). This grammar is essential for reflecting on past achievements and perceived fraudulence, allowing students to re-evaluate their own experiences and those of others.

Understanding imposter syndrome

Summary

Activities

Vocabulary focus

Grammar focus

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