imposter syndrome

imposter syndrome, a persistent unjustified feeling that one’s success is fraudulent. Imposter syndrome is characterized by doubt in one’s abilities—despite a record of achievement or respect from one’s peers—and a fear of having one’s unworthiness exposed. Imposter syndrome was first described in 1978 by researchers at Georgia State University on the basis of observations of high-achieving women undergoing psychotherapy. Since then, further research has found that imposter syndrome is common across all spectrums of age, gender, and ethnicity.

Though imposter syndrome is not recognized as a disorder by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the condition can be very difficult for those who have it. Sufferers are plagued with feelings of inadequacy and a fear of being exposed as frauds. They tend to dismiss the fact that their own successes are evidence of their abilities, suggesting that what they have achieved is owed to luck rather than talent. They may even dismiss their success itself, believing that what is impressive to others was actually easy or that they had advantages others have not taken into account. Frequently, those suffering from imposter syndrome hold unrealistic standards of success, and, despite working hard to succeed, they feel unsatisfied with their achievements. Indeed, those with the condition may work harder than others due to their fear that their perceived inadequacy will be exposed and that even one failure could ruin their reputations. Sufferers thus experience greater feelings of burnout and anxiety than other people in similar positions.

People with imposter syndrome often suffer from medically recognized disorders such as depression and anxiety. They may also be afflicted with social dysfunctions, low self-esteem, or even physical symptoms. However, individual sufferers do not fall neatly into existing diagnostic categories. Imposter syndrome is an independent phenomenon, not merely a symptom of another disorder.

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The prevalence of impostor syndrome has been the subject of much study, but just how common the phenomenon is remains controversial. The subject pool is often limited to students and to high-achieving individuals whose objective success makes it easier to identify irrational doubt of one’s own abilities. However, studies have varied wildly in how researchers define their pool of high achievers and how they recruit subjects. In addition, researchers have been inconsistent in the diagnostic criteria they use. Consequently, studies have found rates of impostor syndrome as low as 9 percent or as high as 82 percent. While some studies have concluded that women and younger people are more likely to suffer from imposter syndrome, others have found roughly equal prevalence across genders and ages. People in certain professions, such as physicians and academics, may be more likely to experience the phenomenon.

Despite the attention that it has received in both academia and the media, there are currently no well-studied treatments for imposter syndrome. It may be particularly difficult to treat due to the stigma attached to admitting feelings of inadequacy, especially for those in high-status positions. Treatment usually includes psychotherapy and group psychotherapy, in which sufferers express and challenge the unwanted feelings, often focusing on self-compassion and cultivating honest connections within a community.

Some academics have found that imposter syndrome can have benefits in professional contexts. In one study physicians-in-training with imposter syndrome symptoms diagnosed actors playing patients, and they not only performed their duties as ably as their peers, they were more highly rated on interpersonal skills. Some sufferers have claimed that imposter syndrome encourages them to work harder and improve, even at high levels of achievement. Most experts, however, believe that the stress, fear, and self-recrimination associated with imposter syndrome make it undesirable.

The concept of imposter syndrome is sometimes applied outside its original context to describe a fear of not being an authentic member of a community or identity group. Sometimes called cultural imposter syndrome, this phenomenon can take many forms but is common among members of marginalized communities who feel that they do not have the correct experiences or feelings to be counted as a member of those groups. Cultural imposter syndrome is not unusual among people who have mixed ethnic, racial, or cultural backgrounds and who are often made to feel that they do not belong in any of the communities to which they are connected. It is also common among members of the LGBTQ+ community who come out after many years of being perceived as heterosexual or who continue to be superficially perceived as heterosexual. In addition, imposter syndrome occurs in the context of disability, in which people who have less visible disabilities or who perceive themselves to be less disabled experience anxiety about requesting accommodations or participating in disability culture.

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