Workshop: Perfectionism and Imposter Syndrome

Details

Date: Tue, 10 November 2026, 09:00 – 10:30 h
Location: online via Zoom
Target group: Postdocs of all research fields of the UA Ruhr universities 
Trainer: Desiree Dickerson, PhD
Registration deadline: 28 October 2026
Contact for organizational Questions: event@rs.rub.de

Description

We argue that our perfectionism drives us to great heights, to excel, and to maintain our edge. We rarely stop to see the costs it carries. Imposter syndrome distorts the way we see ourselves, our performance, and our capabilities. Both reflect our doubts and fears — fear of being judged, fear of failing, fear of not being good enough, fear of not belonging. They're the product of distorted thinking patterns. Thinking patterns that we can change.

In this session, we explore:

• The true costs of these doubts and fears, and the extent to which they are impacting on your productivity, mental clarity, and your joy for what you do.
• Simple ways to notice when your perfectionism or imposter syndrome is tripping you up.
• Simple ways to reshape your inner critic to be more objective and more compassionate, so that you can thrive thanks to the voice in your head rather than in spite of it.

Trainer

Desiree Dickerson, PhD as a a clinical psychologist and former postdoctoral researcher in the neurosciences with research experience in New Zealand, Australia, and Austria, Desiree now helps academics to pursue a healthier approach to research.

* In order to provide you with a comfortable registration process, we use registration forms of our service partner eveeno®. Please note the information on the allocation of places on the program overview page.