Have you ever felt that you simply don't deserve your success or the praise you receive? Even when others affirm what you've achieved, you still question your own ability. You might also feel that your success comes down to nothing more than luck and the help of others, or even think of yourself as an "imposter". If any of this resonates, you may be living with imposter syndrome.
What Is Imposter Syndrome?
Imposter syndrome, also known as the imposter phenomenon, traces back to a study published by psychologists Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes in 1978. Their research found that some successful women, despite outstanding academic records or professional achievements, still felt they did not deserve recognition from society and others — some even regarded themselves as "frauds" who had deceived everyone around them (Clance & Imes, 1978). Later research found that this phenomenon was not confined to women; men in society faced the same problem (Imes et al, 1980). Researchers note that roughly seven in ten people experience imposter syndrome, and that the phenomenon is widespread across different professions — among doctors, nurses, teachers, administrators and many others (Sakulku, 2011). Even when high achievers genuinely possess real talent, they cannot bring themselves to believe that their accomplishments stem from their own ability. They often feel they are merely getting lucky, or that they have misled others into thinking they are capable, and they live in deep fear that one day people will see through them and discover they are just a worthless "fake".
The Types of Imposter Syndrome
The expert V. Young identifies five types of imposter syndrome: the "Perfectionist", the "Natural Genius", the "Superhuman", the "Expert" and the "Soloist" (Young, 2011).
The "Perfectionist" demands that everything they do be 100% perfect, and even the smallest mistake leaves them branding themselves a failure. The "Natural Genius" believes that success springs from innate talent, and that effort and persistence are signs of weakness. The "Superhuman" feels they should excel at everything in life, performing flawlessly in every role and identity they hold. The "Expert" believes they must possess an enormous store of knowledge and a vast array of skills, terrified that others will think they know nothing. The "Soloist" always wants to accomplish everything through their own efforts, believing that only the weak ask for help.
Causes
Researchers do not yet have a definitive answer. Psychologists believe imposter syndrome is linked to personal traits or personality. People who experience it mostly have low self-esteem and a negative self-concept (Clance & Imes, 1978), along with perfectionist tendencies (Henning et al., 1998). Within the Big Five personality framework, they tend to score high in neuroticism — a group easily triggered by external stimuli into negative emotions such as anxiety, anger and low mood (Bernard et al., 2002). Research has found that such people often have an anxious attachment style (Gibson-Beverly & Schwartz, 2008), and that those raised under strict parenting in childhood find it hard to build self-affirmation in high-pressure environments (Sonnak & Towell, 2001).
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Ways to Cope
We can learn to cultivate self-compassion. When we meet with setbacks and failures, we can try to accept our shortcomings with a generous attitude, giving ourselves a little more warmth and treating ourselves kindly. When we're feeling low, we can allow ourselves to play the music we love, eat the food we love and watch the shows we love, and take a good rest. We should understand that making mistakes is a normal part of being human, and that everyone is imperfect. We don't need to demand that we be superhuman, and there is always someone who can get through this difficult patch alongside us. The next time you feel you haven't done well enough, learn to accept that every experience is part of growing, and try to be kind to yourself.
Building a growth mindset (Growth Mindset) can also help us overcome psychological obstacles. People with a growth mindset believe that effort over time can bring them progress. Imposter syndrome is linked to a fixed mindset (Chandra et al., 2019). If we believe that success is predestined and can only be innate, we will never be able to progress. But if we hold a growth mindset, we can reflect carefully on how to improve when we hit a setback, cultivating the perseverance that lets us become more mature and more confident.
Mindfulness (Mindfulness) can also help us notice negative thoughts and difficult emotions. We can observe ourselves more closely and try to stop the self-criticism. We don't need to suppress or deny our feelings — we simply let them flow naturally through our minds. We can also try to write down some of our everyday thoughts, and spend a little time writing words of self-encouragement, reminding ourselves that hardship is temporary and that we have the power to change things for the better.
We may doubt ourselves and feel that we are "imposters". This is something many people go through. The next time you find yourself in a similar situation, why not talk it over with the people around you and set down your worries. We don't need to fixate on eliminating imposter syndrome; we only need to accept our own thoughts and emotions, and try to embrace the self that is still growing.
References
Bernard, N. S., Dollinger, S. J., and Ramaniah, N. V. (2002). Applying the big five personality factors to the impostor phenomenon. J. Pers. Assess. 78, 321–333.
Clance, P. R., and Imes, S. A. (1978). The imposter phenomenon in high achieving women: dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychother. Theory Res. Pract. 15:241.
Gibson-Beverly, G., and Schwartz, J. P. (2008). Attachment, entitlement, and the impostor phenomenon in female graduate students. J. Coll. Couns. 11, 119–132.
Henning, K., Ey, S., and Shaw, D. (1998). Perfectionism, the impostor phenomenon and psychological adjustment in medical, dental, nursing and pharmacy students. Med. Educ. 32, 456–464.
Imes, S.A. (1979). The Impostor Phenomenon as a function of attribution patterns and internalized masculinity/femininity in high achieving women and men (Doctoral Dissertation, Georgia State University, 1979). Dissertation Abstracts International, 40, 5868B-5869B.
Sakulku, J. (2011). The Impostor Phenomenon. The Journal of Behavioral Science, 6(1), 75-97.
Sonnak, C., and Towell, T. (2001). The impostor phenomenon in British university students: relationships between self-esteem, mental health, parental rearing style and socioeconomic status. Pers. Indiv. Dif. 31, 863–874.
Young, V. (2011). The secret thoughts of successful women: Why capable people suffer from the impostor syndrome and how to thrive in spite of it. Currency.
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