As we leave March behind, we continue to discuss the journey of women’s empowerment, because this issue is far too deeply rooted and vital to be confined to a single day on the calendar. We all know how real and exhausting the infamous “glass ceilings”—rooted in systemic inequalities—truly are. Fighting these external injustices is an undeniable necessity. However, while fighting this righteous battle, there is another front we sometimes overlook, one that overshadows our potential: our own minds. In this article, without denying the existence of external barriers, we will explore how to recognize the internal boundaries shaped by our childhood schemas and how to build our psychological capital—the true fuel we need to shatter the ceilings above us.
Are Glass Ceilings Only On The Outside?
The concept of the glass ceiling refers to the invisible, seemingly insurmountable barriers women face while climbing the career ladder—barriers stemming entirely from gender bias, not a lack of merit, education, or skill. Yet, when we look at mental dynamics from a clinical perspective, we see how these external barriers are internalized over time. After years of exposure, women can eventually turn these systemic restrictions into their own inner voices.
Do thoughts like “I owe my success purely to luck,” “I don’t deserve to be here,” or “Soon they will realize how incompetent I am” sound familiar? Known in the literature as the imposter phenomenon, this condition is exceptionally common, especially among high-achieving women. Gender roles and our upbringing make it difficult for a woman to own her successes. Success is attributed to external factors (luck, being in the right place at the right time, or the help of others) rather than one’s own effort and ability. This creates a constant cycle of anxiety about being “unmasked,” which ultimately paves the way for psychological burnout.
The Familiar Voices Dragging Us Down: Our Schemas
At the root of these internalized obstacles lie the “early maladaptive schemas” typically formed during childhood and adolescence. Schemas are deeply ingrained cognitive frameworks that dictate how we perceive the world, ourselves, and others. They are essentially invisible scripts written in childhood that we unconsciously read from in adulthood. Three primary schemas, reinforced by societal teachings, pose significant barriers to a woman’s potential:
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Defectiveness/Shame Schema: A deep-seated belief that one is inherently flawed, defective, or unlovable. When this schema is triggered, no matter how successful a woman is, she always feels “inadequate” and struggles to accept external praise.
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Subjugation Schema: Suppressing one’s own needs and emotions to avoid conflict and please others. In the professional world, this schema is often the driving force behind women who cannot set boundaries, say “no,” or advocate for their rights (such as a promotion or fair pay).
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Self-Sacrifice Schema: The tendency to consistently prioritize the needs of others over one’s own. This makes it difficult for a woman to pursue her career goals and personal development without feeling guilty.
So, What Can We Do? Drawing Our Strength From Psychological Capital
Combating the sense of inadequacy whispered by our schemas and the glass ceilings in the outside world is only possible by investing in our own “Psychological Capital” (PsyCap). As I recently had the opportunity to explore deeply during a presentation for my Industrial and Organizational Psychology class, strengthening this capital is the key to increasing individual resilience in corporate structures. One of the most powerful concepts of positive psychology adapted to the workplace, psychological capital consists of four components: hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism (Luthans et al., 2015). For women, these four components act as an invisible armor and a driving force.
Efficacy (self-efficacy) weakens the Imposter feeling by reinforcing the belief that “I can overcome this challenging task.” Resilience refers to the capacity to bounce back stronger from rejections, injustices, or failures. Hope provides the willpower to chart alternative routes to overcome obstacles on the way to a goal; meanwhile, optimism—rather than toxic positivity—allows us to evaluate events through a realistic yet positive cognitive framework. Research shows that women with high psychological capital are more successful in coping with the perception of a glass ceiling and are less hesitant to make their voices heard in the workplace.
As We Rewrite Our Own Story…
True empowerment is not just about fighting inequalities and glass ceilings in the external world; it is also about repairing the boundaries within our own minds. Real transformation begins when we recognize those maladaptive schemas telling us “you can’t,” “you should settle,” or “you must sacrifice yourself,” and replace them with self-efficacy, resilience, and hope.
As we leave this March behind, as women, we must celebrate not only the limited spaces offered to us by institutions or society but the boundless psychological potential that exists within us. As we build our psychological capital brick by brick, we illuminate the path not only for our own lives but for the young girls who will come after us. Let us not forget: when we strengthen that belief within, there is no glass ceiling we cannot shatter.
References
Barutçu, E., & Kaçar, Z. K. (2017). Kadın çalışanların psikolojik sermayeleri ve cam tavan sendromunu aşma stratejileri arasındaki ilişki: Denizli örneği. Adnan Menderes Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 4(4), 79-86.
Clance, P. R., & Imes, S. A. (1978). The imposter phenomenon in high achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 15(3), 241–247.
Doğan, S. (2020). Kadın yöneticilerin örgütsel psikolojik sermaye düzeyleri ve cam tavan algılarının liderlik tarzları bağlamında incelenmesi. Çukurova Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 29(1), 1-15.
Luthans, F., Youssef-Morgan, C. M., & Avolio, B. J. (2015). Psychological capital and beyond. Oxford University Press.
Young, J. E., Klosko, J. S., & Weishaar, M. E. (2003). Schema therapy: A practitioner’s guide. Guilford Press.