Ask Doctoral Advising

Fear of Success

by Lori Schroeder | February 16, 2010

When we think of fears associated with pursuing academic goals, fear of failure often comes to mind. For example, how many times did you experience fear of failing a course, fear of failing the comprehensive examination, or fear of failing to complete your dissertation? Yet, another phenomenon, fear of success, can be just as present, formidable, and self-sabotaging as the fear of failure.

In the next three months, we will explore fear of success. This post examines the nature of fear of success. Next month’s post will identify some of the effects of fear of success. In April, we will identify strategies to mitigate it.

Pawlik-Kienlen (2008) believes success can be intimidating. While success can elicit a variety of responses, such as pride and an increase in self-confidence, it also can elicit fear. A person who experiences success may face a myriad of “What if?” questions. For example, “What if others expect more of me, and I can’t handle the pressure?” “What if I can’t live up to others’ expectations?” “What if I have no other goals?” “What if this is the end of the line for my goals?” “What if this is as far as I can go?” “What if others are jealous?” “What if my friends or family resent my success?” “What if success still doesn’t bring me happiness?” Success implies change, and the implications of change may be daunting.

Individuals who experience success may understand that with success comes additional unknowns, pressures, and expectations. Pawlik-Kienlen (2008) suggests that people may experience fear of success because they are unsure if they can live up to their achievements. They also may not think they are capable or good enough to meet others’ expectations. In addition, individuals may fear success because they may question whether they have what it takes to meet new challenges and responsibilities or that others may expect too much of them.

Similarly, individuals may fear that they are capable of sustaining their success. They may ask, “What if I am unable to sustain this success?” This doubt, known as the Impostor Syndrome, may exacerbate fear of success. The Impostor Syndrome has played a role in many individuals’ lives—keeping them from fully seeking, embracing, and enjoying success. Wikipedia describes the Impostor Syndrome: “Regardless of what level of success they may have achieved in their chosen field of work or study or what external proof they may have of their competence, those with the syndrome remain convinced internally they do not deserve the success they have achieved and are actually frauds. Proof of success is dismissed as luck, timing, or as a result of deceiving others into thinking they were more intelligent and competent than they believe themselves to be.”

Brookfield (2005) sheds additional light: “We wear an external mask of control, but beneath it we know that really we are frail figures, struggling to make it through to the end of each day. There is the sense that around the corner is an unforeseen but cataclysmic event that will reveal us as frauds” (p. 230). Messina (2009) posits that those who fear success may fear that their accomplishments can self-destruct at anytime.

Can you relate? Do you sometimes feel like an impostor?

Laursen (2008) writes that the Impostor Syndrome was thought to be particularly common among professionally successful women but has since been shown to occur in an equal number of men. He adds that it is typically associated with academics and is widely experienced by graduate students. The field of psychology has examined women’s fear of success. Hoffman (1972) suggests that females have strong needs for affiliation—which can inhibit women from realizing their potential (as cited in Ruderman, 2006). Person (1982) relates women’s work inhibitions to fear that they will lose affiliative ties (as cited in Ruderman, 2006). Person also notes sources of workplace inhibitions to include fear of success, fear of public exposure, and a sense of fraudulence. Messina (2009) suggests that fear of success is the flip side of fear of failure. He maintains fear of failure involves the fear of making mistakes and losing approval. In contrast, Messina posits that fear of success involves the fear of accomplishment and being recognized and honored for that accomplishment.

Are you someone who is sometimes embarrassed when others recognize your success?

In addition, an individual may be uncomfortable with the possibility of success because of its effects on self-perception. If a person has experienced moderate accomplishments but nothing as significant as completing a Ph.D., she or he may be comfortable living in that mode. An individual may believe she or he capable of achieving only moderate success. Earning a doctorate reflects a super success, and the prospect of realizing super success may be foreign and, therefore, unsettling. Have you ever asked yourself, “How will it feel to earn the Ph.D. and accomplish this great success?” “Will I change?” “Will I act differently?” “Will I BE different?” These unknowns and concerns may deter doctoral learners from achieving success and earning the doctorate.

Does achieving a super success cause concern?

Ruderman (2006) considers the role of “masochism” and women’s fear of success. She posits, “Any discussion of the subject of women’s fear of success must include a focus on ‘masochism’ in women and must begin with the premise that the interface between women’s earliest interpersonal and intrapsychic development, the social and cultural context in which they exist, and the political force around them, have been prime determinants in keeping women unempowered” (p. 86). Ruderman (2006) defines “masochism” as the “interplay between the woman, her concepts of herself as a total person, the derivatives of her earliest infant-caregiver relationship, and a sociocultural and political milieu that imposes distinctively negative, ingrained attitudes that still, to this day, label ambition, aggression, active mastery and success as shameful, unfeminine, and inappropriate for ‘ladies’” (pp. 86-87).

Ruderman (2006) also maintains that the origins of women’s fear of success, and conflicted feelings about success, is a multifaceted phenomenon. She believes it is worth exploring “the complex relationship of women to their earliest caregivers to demonstrate the conundrum created by aspects of unresolved competition and envy (of mother toward daughter, and of daughter toward mother), and how life-long patterns of self-defeat can emanate from this phenomenon” (p. 88).

Do complex family dynamics play a concerning force in your life?

Messina (2009) identifies some beliefs of individuals who fear success:

* “I have worked so hard to get this far, yet I need to keep on working hard; I’m not sure the effort is worth it.
* I know people care about me when I am down and out, but will they like me when I am on top and successful?
* I’ve never been happy before, so how can I be sure I’ll be happy once I achieve my goals?
* I am nothing, and I deserve nothing.
* How can people like me if I succeed in reaching my goals in life?
* I can’t sustain the momentum I would need to achieve my goals.
* How can I be sure that my good fortunes won’t go sour and be destroyed?
* There are always more demands and more needs that have to be met in order for me to be successful, no matter what I do it will never be enough.
* They are all better, brighter, smarter, and more talented than I am. I really don’t deserve to be successful.
* It’s hard to be at the top.
* Everyone is out to shoot down the head man [or woman].
* No one really likes a winner.
* Everyone goes for the underdog.
* I am happiest when I am under pressure and challenged.
* Hard work, no play and constant effort make me happy. What would I do if it were different?
* I feel so guilty when I realize how much I have been given in my life.
* I’m always afraid I’m going to lose it all.
* Starting over again gives me meaning and a sense of mission and purpose.
* I’m so bored with what I’ve accomplished. What’s left to do?
* Everyone has the right to fail in life, and I have the right to choose to fail if I want to.”

Fear of success is complex. Anyone who struggles with this fear may find it a puzzling and distressing reality. An individual may often ask, “Why do I repeatedly shoot myself in the foot?” Understanding the causes of fear of success may be the beginning step to resolving it.

In next month’s blog, we will discuss the impact of fear of success.

References:

Brookfield, S. (1995). Becoming a critically reflective teacher. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Hoffman, L. (1972). Early childhood experiences and women’s achievement motives. Journal of Social Issues, 28, 129-155. In E. Ruderman. (2006). Nurturance and self-sabotage: Psychoanalytic perspectives on women’s fear of success. International Forum of Psychoanalysis. (15), 85-95. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.24.2.225

Impostor Syndrome. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome

Lucas, L. (2008, February 15). No, you’re not an impostor. Retrieved from http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/previous_issues/articles/2008_02_15/caredit_a0800025.

Messina, J. (2009). Handling fear of success. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/14659-handling-fear-of-success/#JUMP2.

Pawlik-Kienlen, S. (2008). How Fear of Success Works: Signs of Self-Sabotaging Your Relationships & Goals, & Why You Do It. Retrieved from http://psychology.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_fear_of_success_works#ixzz0bHlHTPSk.

Person, E. (1982). Woman working: fears of failure, deviance and success. Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis. (10), 67-80. In E. Ruderman. (2006). Nurturance and self-sabotage: Psychoanalytic perspectives on women’s fear of success. International Forum of Psychoanalysis. (15), 85-95. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.24.2.225

Ruderman, E. (2006). Nurturance and self-sabotage: Psychoanalytic perspectives on women’s fear of success. International Forum of Psychoanalysis. (15), 85-95. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.24.2.225

Topics posted in: General.

• About Us

  We are advisors who work with learners through the comprehensive exam and dissertation portion of their doctoral journey. Our blog team includes those who have survived the dissertation process, those who are completing the process, and those with extensive experience in advising at Capella University.

• Contact Us

  Email Doctoral Advising

• Other Doctoral Resources

  • Academic Resources
  • Becoming a Scholar
  • Career Center
  • Library
  • Research at Capella
  • Writing Center

This blog is sponsered by Capella University