Bluff Syndrome: When Competence Leads To Uncertainty

Feeling insecure is to some extent normal, especially if you are in a new, challenging situation. Over time, you get used to the situation, you fail, you learn from your mistakes, you grow and you feel more secure. You can finally reach a point where you are an expert in the subject; however, it does not happen for people with bluff syndrome.

Even when they really are experts on a subject and have many achievements under their belt, they feel insecure. Even when they are highly respected by their fellow human beings , their insecurity remains.

It’s not about modesty – they simply do not see themselves that way. In fact, many of them believe that they are deceiving their clients or patients, just as a scammer would do. They do not believe in their abilities and do not feel competent, despite all the evidence to the contrary.

There seem to be some predisposing factors that explain why some people feel unsuccessful. Dr Valeria Young – expert in the subject – presents the following possible causes:

Family dynamics or upbringing

When parents pressure their children to get the best possible grades or compare them with others, they will probably feel incompetent. Of course they are not. They also feel the need to get better than they are at the moment.

Gender stereotypes

Today we know that gender stereotypes affect both men and women. A few years ago, however, people thought it only affected women. However, men are sent messages of success while women are sent messages of failure.

Society pressures women to be perfect and play too many roles at once – no room for failure.

Wage differences

When a person’s workplace does not value him financially by paying a reasonable salary. The person may think that it is because he is not as competent as he should be, which is why he is not rewarded.

Not earning as much as an employee can affect how much you value yourself professionally.

High expectations and demands on oneself

People with bluff syndrome demand a lot of themselves and are perfectionists. They set goals for themselves that are too high and difficult for someone to meet – it does not matter how competent they are.

Therefore, they see themselves as mediocre, when in fact they are only distorting reality. They are very competent and skilled, but they are not perfect and do not set realistic goals.

Bluff syndrome is a problem of uncertainty. The person feels as if he is not living up to or deserving of his achievements, his praise or his successes. She believes that if other people were to discover how incompetent she is, they would label her a scammer.

The opposite is seen in the Dunning-Kruger effect, where ignorant people are not aware of their own ignorance.

This is interesting because the uncertainty that arises from this extreme perfectionism can lead to exactly what they dread: failure. And yet people who are less competent can do much more because they believe in themselves and seem confident.

To overcome bluff syndrome, the first step is to believe in yourself. Get to know yourself well: what you can give and where your boundaries lie. Then trust yourself, knowing that you will make many mistakes.

It is also necessary to start accepting and enjoying your successes instead of diminishing them. If you do not value yourself for what you do, it will be difficult for others to do so.

Every time you receive praise, thank the person who delivers it. Let it serve as motivation and encouragement for the future.

Finally, you should stop postponing things. People who suffer from bluff syndrome put things off because they are afraid of failure.

As a result, they are never satisfied with their work, and this dissatisfaction leads to a lack of motivation. Sometimes even anxiety or depression can be the result of all the responsibilities that pile up.

As can be seen, even the most successful of people can feel incompetent and carry a lot of insecurity. The key is not to stop achieving, but to accept yourself unconditionally.

It’s the only way to get where you want to go, and to understand the reasons if you do not.