Ever have that nagging feeling that you have no idea what you’re doing? Maybe it manifests as a constant thought in the back of your mind, saying your work isn’t good enough and never will be. That foreboding feeling has a name—imposter syndrome.
Unsettling as the feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt may be, you are not alone. According to the American Psychological Association, 82 percent of people suffer from the phenomenon.
Scientists believe there is a strong connection between high achievers in high-stress situations and the eventual development of imposter syndrome. People with the syndrome come from all walks of life, but it tends to be more prevalent in women, minorities and people with a history of anxiety and depression.
But don’t despair. Imposter syndrome is manageable if you are honest with yourself, recognize the symptoms early and launch a plan to address them. In this guide, we’ll give you the tools to identify, address and conquer imposter syndrome—and accelerate your sense of success.
What Is Imposter Syndrome?
imposter syndrome is when someone in a collegiate or professional setting doesn’t feel worthy of their position or accomplishments. Instead of attributing their success to hard work and talent, they feel like a fake or that their goals were accidentally achieved.
While it may seem like a new concept for many professionals, imposter syndrome has existed for decades. Pauline Rose Clance, Ph.D. and Suzanne A. Imes, Ph.D., coined the term in 1978 in their paper “The Imposter Phenomenon in High-Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention.”
The pair studied grad students and successful women, finding their subjects had persistent self-doubt and often attributed their wins to others. The women felt like their accolades were undeserved or a matter of luck. Even when receiving compliments, the effects were short-lived.
Since then, numerous studies have been done on the topic, showing that the phenomenon occurs in all genders, age groups and demographics. In fact, many imposter syndrome sufferers are highly successful perfectionists with lofty goals and high expectations. Although imposter syndrome isn’t an official mental health diagnosis, those who struggle with it often have secondary disorders like depression and anxiety.
Recently, many celebrities and politicians have openly addressed their feelings of inadequacy. Michelle Obama spoke about feeling like she didn’t belong at Princeton. Hollywood A-listers like Tom Hanks, Natalie Portman and Charlize Theron have spoken about their bouts with self-doubt and how they have used it to help them in their careers.
Imposter Syndrome Examples
- Academic Imposter Syndrome: Some students feel immense pressure to succeed—or even surpass siblings and peers—in school. By the time they reach adulthood, they doubt their abilities and achievements. Students may feel like they lucked out and don’t belong at an Ivy League school despite having excellent grades and test scores.
- Gender-Based Imposter Syndrome: While imposter syndrome isn’t gender-specific, men and women feel its effects differently. Women are more likely to feel like frauds or lean into the “fake it till you make it” rhetoric in attempts to overcome gender-based stigmas. Men, on the other hand, often feel they have less to prove and, therefore, take on fewer challenges that might catalyze self-doubt.
- Race-Based Imposter Syndrome: Minority groups may experience imposter syndrome when achieving success due to discrimination, economic or social stigmas, and systemic racism. Students and professionals may feel the sting of system-related bias, falling prey to the narrative that they were accepted into their school or given their job to fulfill a quota or to bolster a corporation’s diversity initiatives. Biracial and multiracial minorities may experience imposter syndrome when participating in cultural celebrations, especially if their outward appearance doesn’t match with other participants. White-passing minorities may feel a sense of falseness or lack of confidence in their abilities based on their assumed race.
- Financial-Based Imposter Syndrome: Anyone can suffer from financial imposter syndrome—not just those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. Instead of recognizing the hard work and determination that have facilitated their financial security, people with financial imposter syndrome might focus on past difficulties or financial missteps. They also may not feel comfortable managing money or may downplay how successful they have become.
Imposter syndrome can truly affect anyone. But there are ways to conquer your self-doubt and come out on the other side. The first step is recognizing the root of your imposter syndrome, then taking the necessary actions to become a more confident person.
Imposter Syndrome Types
Not everyone with imposter syndrome has the same personality type. Depending on one’s background, experiences and behavioral patterns, it can manifest differently. Here’s a deeper dive into five personality types that commonly experience imposter syndrome.
Perfectionist
Perfectionists have an inherent need to be the best at everything. This makes them extraordinarily competitive at work, school and anywhere else they can be measured by comparison. However, while perfectionists often attribute these expectations to others, their standards are frequently self-imposed and fueled by their drive to be the best. Many of their goals can be difficult to reach—since it’s nearly impossible to excel at everything—leading to negative self-talk and burnout.
Superperson
Like perfectionists, the superperson must be the best in every scenario. This often leads to over-preparing in an effort to appear as the most knowledgeable or capable person for every task, job or project. In other words, superpeople want to be perceived as the best. Of course, constant over-preparation is not sustainable and eventually erodes mental health and personal relationships.
Natural Genius
For natural geniuses, knowledge and skill come easily. Natural geniuses believe they should complete tasks quickly and without any difficulty. Skill is not a factor for those struggling with this imposter syndrome type. Instead, they believe they should be able to do everything well the first time around. So when natural geniuses face initial failure—an essential component of learning and growth—they feel shame and inadequacy.
Soloist
Soloists have an innate need to do things themselves. Credit for a project or a task is not enough. They must own it 100 percent. They will balk at offers of help and will not ask for it, opting to figure things out independently. This can lead to stalled progress, slow delivery and a general feeling of incompetence despite hard work, ambition and good intentions.
Expert
Experts see their value in how much they know about specific subjects and how comprehensively they grasp their niches. They want to be seen and respected as the most knowledgeable in their respective fields. They will constantly chase new knowledge and expertise but never be satisfied. Instead, they’ll be haunted by the constant fear that they’ll never know everything and eventually be exposed as inexperienced frauds.
How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome
The key to overcoming imposter syndrome is to recognize thoughts of self-doubt or feeling like a fraud, understand the source of those thoughts and build positive patterns to counteract them. Try taking the following steps:
- Identify Your Personality Type: Use the list above to understand which personal characteristics might reinforce your imposter syndrome. This will help you develop a game plan when those characteristics appear.
- Pinpoint Your Triggers: Pay attention to your situation when you begin to feel self-doubt creep in. Write down the circumstances, conditions and perceptions that fuel these feelings. If you don’t actively manage your imposter syndrome, it could cost you thousands of dollars and jeopardize your career and friendships.
- Acknowledge Your Wins: Work on building your confidence by writing down a list of your strengths and successes. Seeing what you can and have done on paper isn’t easy to brush off. Use it as a motivational tool if you feel like an imposter again. Tack the list on the fridge or your bathroom mirror as a constant reminder.
- Track Your Progress: Measuring your progress with planners and journals is an excellent way to track wins over time. Seeing a holistic picture of your growth and success can be a powerful way to conquer imposter syndrome.
- Create Attainable Goals: Shift your benchmarks to more attainable targets and bite-sized pieces rather than taking everything on at once. Focus on finishing tasks rather than making them perfect.
- Be Nice to Yourself: Focus on positive self-talk. If a negative voice is always playing in your head, you won’t be able to make any progress. Shifting to positive affirmations or sayings can increase overall confidence and reduce your feelings of insufficiency.
- Seek Mentorship: Professional mentors can help you find healthy, meaningful ways to achieve your work goals by setting you up for success—and defining that success within a realistic framework.
- Get Support: Internal dialogue is often irrational and self-critical. Connect with peers or support groups who can help put your feelings into proportion. Having a safe space to discuss your doubts and fears can remove some of the shame and stigma of feeling like you’re not good enough.
Imposter Syndrome Therapy Options
Therapy is another valuable tool for combatting imposter syndrome. There is no shame in asking for professional help, especially if you’ve exhausted other approaches. And the long-term benefits to your career, as well as your mental and physical health, can be invaluable.
Check out the therapeutic approaches below to determine the best fit for you.
Individual Psychotherapy
Talking one-on-one with a therapist can help you discover the root cause of your imposter syndrome. The intimate setting can help you open up and discuss elements of your personality and past that you may not feel comfortable addressing in a group setting.
In individual psychotherapy, you can learn techniques to restructure negative thoughts and channel them into more productive outlets. For example, expert types can channel the habit of chasing knowledge to appear smart into learning about something that interests them. This way, their actions are based on their wants and needs rather than trying to impress others.
Group Therapy
Group therapy—an open, moderated discussion among individuals with similar struggles—may be more effective for some imposter syndrome sufferers. It offers a safe space to discuss shared feelings and experiences with peers in a non-judgmental environment.
Sharing your story can also help other imposter syndrome sufferers open up, as they’ll be reassured that they’re not alone. Group therapy is most beneficial with a collection of similar personality types, such as perfectionist women or men.
Cognitive Processing Therapy
Cognitive processing therapy challenges fervently held beliefs that feed imposter syndrome and replaces them with more productive opinions.
This approach lessens feelings of fraud and self-doubt by reprogramming the patterns that give rise to them. The practice is usually done in a group therapy session, with individual analysis of core beliefs and thought patterns between sessions to catalyze discussions.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy deeply examines your past experiences and assesses how they affect your current behaviors and personality. This approach is based on Sigmund Freud’s theories on psychoanalysis. While studying patients, Freud discovered that some of their symptoms did not fall under the control of conscious will or biological reason. Those outlying symptoms that seemed to happen unconsciously were determined to be psychodynamic.
Psychodynamic therapy patients talk one-on-one with their therapists, delving into the underlying emotions associated with their imposter syndrome and rooting out the unconscious stimuli that give rise to it.
Mindfulness Therapy
Mindfulness therapy is the practice of being more present in the here and now and worrying less about the past or future. The approach was initially created to address depression and anxiety but has also proved useful in treating various types of imposter syndrome.
Mindfulness can help ease anxiety and emotional distress associated with imposter syndrome, especially in those struggling with perfectionism or neuroticism. By helping you focus only on what’s in front of you, mindfulness can help you avoid the common pitfall of trying to take on everything at once. This way, you can build on immediate individual wins before and after.
Bottom Line
Imposter syndrome can happen to anyone, from college students pushed to succeed as children to high-achieving doctors, lawyers and executives. The way to overcome imposter syndrome is to take control of your narrative, recognize an underlying reason for your negative self-talk and seek support if you need it.
Increasing your self-confidence and silencing your inner critic will give you a healthier relationship with your personal and professional success. Be honest with yourself and others, do the work and remember you’re not alone. Before you know it, you’ll have conquered your imposter syndrome with a whole new outlook.
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