New Ways to Fight 'Imposter Fears'- 'Stealthy' Intervention Counters Students' Self-Doubt
Feeling as if you don't belong—that you've landed in a fortunate spot by luck or by accident—can send anyone into a tailspin, from college students to corporate executives.
Imposter fears are common among men and women alike, research shows, and are blamed for an array of problems, from high college-failure and dropout rates to low female participation in math, engineering and science jobs.
Separate from general emotional insecurity, imposter fears affect high achievers and tend to focus on worries about being exposed as a phony. These feelings can come up in many situations in the workplace—when an executive is called upon to accept a promotion, dig into a tough project, or give voice to a fledgling idea. Joyce Roché, a former senior executive at Avon Products, worried in secret for years that she was "not as smart, not as prepared, not as good as my counterparts," says Ms. Roché, author of a recent book on the topic, "The Empress Has No Clothes."
A new kind of psychological intervention is proving surprisingly powerful in combating these fears for students in middle school, high school or college. Drawing on decades of research, the interventions deliver "persuasive yet stealthy" psychological messages to neutralize crippling anxieties and doubts, according to a 2011 research review authored by David Scott Yeager, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, and Gregory Walton, an assistant professor of psychology at Stanford University. Students who participate in the exercises post better grades, lower dropout rates and in some cases, better health and well-being for as long as three years.
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Much more: http://m.us.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304439804579207951856455572
Muh.....
Can't hurt.
If this can be set up correctly, it would be an easy and inexpensive way to help kids.
I taught students in the middle school-high school range. Giving them more internal resources to counter doubt would be invaluable at those ages. It wouldn't hurt at any age, but some periods are crucial.