The Psychology Of Impostor Syndrome & How To Actually Overcome It

This feeling is known as impostor syndrome.

Impostor syndrome is essentially a subconscious way of saying to yourself and others that "I am not enough" or "I am unworthy" and that you're somehow undeserving of the awards, accolades, and recognition you've received. Even worse than the feeling of unworthiness is the guilt you carry about deceiving others into thinking you're smarter and more competent than you believe yourself to be and fear that someone will find out and expose you and your "lies."

Some common indicators include: 

These beliefs and behaviors can lead to: 

The validation of doing well doesn't change your internal beliefs about your ability and competence in making the task a success. Repetition of doing well and getting more positive feedback doesn't make you feel more confident, but rather it perpetuates the feeling of perceived incompetence, keeping the cycle spinning. This compounding self-doubt, fear, and guilt can also lead to more intense mental health concerns.

So how do you know if you're experiencing impostor syndrome? Ask yourself the following questions:

You can also try taking this impostor syndrome test created by Clance. 

In her book The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer From the Impostor Syndrome and How To Thrive in Spite of It, impostor syndrome expert Valerie Young, Ed.D., describes five main types of impostor syndrome: 

The Perfectionist sets extremely high expectations for themselves. Any mistake, regardless of how small or how many wins they have or how hard they've worked, makes them feel like a failure and question their own abilities. When trying new things, they can feel shame, inadequacy, and even avoid trying in the first place if they can't do them perfectly the first time. 

The Natural Genius is born with an inherent ability to pick up new skills quickly and with ease. They operate on the belief that competent people don't struggle or work hard, and if they have any difficulty or need to put in more effort than usual, it serves as proof that they're a fraud. They can feel shame and embarrassment if something doesn't come so easily to them or if they fail on their first try.

The Soloist hates asking others for help. They believe they must be able to handle everything on their own, and the inability to do so means they are incompetent and incapable. Asking for or receiving support when offered presents a double negative of both falling short of their own high standards and admitting they can't do something and showing up as a failure.  

The Expert often feels they are not ready or are never good enough if they don't know everything there is to know about a topic. They validate themselves through external sources and often seek out certifications, degrees, and trainings. When looking for a new job, they won't apply to roles if they don't feel they meet the criteria on a job description. They may be hesitant to speak up in a meeting for fear of not knowing the answer to something they should know, or hold back from asking questions in class for fear of looking stupid. They have an unrealistic expectation of themselves that they should have all the answers, and their deepest fear is being exposed as a fraud if they don't.

The Superhero feels that they need to do it all and do it all with excellence. They are only successful if they are winning in all aspects of life such as at school, work, as a parent, a partner, and a friend. If they are falling short in just one of these areas, they see themselves as a failure and subsequently push themselves to succeed. 

Here are a few of the main contributing factors: 

Some other examples of ways your parents and caretakers may have affected you and continue to affect you may include: 

In our achievement-based society, most of us have felt the pressure of needing to do well at school and at work. Our stories of past success and failure can affect how we see ourselves today and how we feel about taking on new projects and assignments. How many of these experiences can you relate to? 

In such an environment, it's easy to judge yourself when you seemingly can't keep up or don't seem as good as what we see on TV or social media.

According to Wong, impostor syndrome typically coincides with feeling anxious, having communication and social skills issues, and more. Having other existing mental health conditions, issues with emotional regulation, or general low self-esteem can all contribute to the development of impostor syndrome, she notes. 

Humans can be creatures of comfort, and it can be challenging and stressful when you are starting something new. Impostor syndrome can show up when you're trying something you've never done before, especially if there are no models and examples to work off of or playbooks to follow—or if there are a lot of them you're trying to live up to. 

These facts suggest that what's often deemed impostor syndrome may in many cases simply be a person experiencing the very real adverse effects of lack of representation, stereotypes, and systems of oppression. Here's how these experiences can affect a person in ways that look like impostor syndrome: 

In many workplace settings, racially and ethnically marginalized communities don't often see people who look like them, especially as they climb up the corporate ladder. The idea that "if you can see it, you can be it" creates confidence. So when you don't see others who look like you, have fewer available role models and mentors that you can relate to, and lack support from folks who share your identity to encourage you, you may feel like you don't belong or don't deserve to be where you are. 

It's one thing to doubt your own abilities; it's another to have others victim-blame or gaslight you and be conditioned by society's messages that your identity is the reason for your unworthiness and for you to question the merit of your accomplishments.

Leadership definitions modeled after qualities of cisgender, heterosexual white men and patriarchal standards of professionalism that overemphasize values such as productivity, urgency, perfectionism, individualism, and binary thinking around the "right and wrong" way to do things can all further exacerbate "impostor" feelings for women and people of color. Without the awareness of this societal context, you internalize your feelings, believing something is wrong with you and that your issues are yours and yours alone to fix.

In the meantime, though, here are questions you can ask yourself and practical actions you can take to get good at moving through feelings of self-doubt and not being good enough so you can overcome your own impostorism:

If you are recognizing that you're in an impostor cycle, procrastinating or over-preparing for a project, ask yourself: Why? Is this a pattern? When have I experienced this before? What am I afraid of? What am I avoiding? What about this project or situation feels overwhelming? What do I want to feel instead?

Ask yourself: Where do my feelings of inadequacy or fear of failure come from? My parents? Conditioning from societal expectations? What experiences and stories am I holding on to about this belief? Are they mine, or did I take them on from someone else? 

In retrospect, what lessons did you learn from your past experiences? What were your wins? What can you do better next time? Did the outcome turn out as bad as you thought it would? How can you apply what you learned about a past situation to a current one? Is it possible that you are projecting unnecessary worry, and will this experience actually be not so bad or, dare I say, even good? How can you stop the negative thoughts in their tracks? 

People who don't feel like impostors are no more intelligent or capable than you or anyone else. They just are better at thinking different thoughts, which you can learn to do too. 

Don't feel like you can trust anyone? Ask yourself: Why? What is the worst that could happen? You get exposed for being human? When you share openly with others and lead with vulnerability, it gives permission for others to do the same and can help others also open up about themselves. More often than not, people experience the same things you do, they're just as afraid to admit it as you are, or they were just as unaware of what is happening as you were. It's comforting to know you are not alone. With shared experiences, you can share strategies of how you may be able to deal with impostor syndrome. 

Create a shortlist of these trusted friends so you have them as your go-to for the next time impostor syndrome shows up. Ask them if they would want to engage as mutual accountability buddies. They might be able to recognize and call out when you are showing signs of impostor syndrome when you can't recognize them yourself. Encourage each other to grow. Self-doubt can be persistent, and becoming each other's go-to may help you to get out of the cycle of impostor syndrome faster the next time it shows up. 

It's a pretty comforting feeling when you recognize that we're all humans just trying to figure things out as we move along in life. Work on developing a healthy relationship with making mistakes. Get comfortable with being wrong and admitting it when you are. Sign up for a course on resilience training. When you meet new people or are presented with new opportunities, learn to approach them with a growth mindset. 

You already may know a lot, but see what happens when you approach things with a growth mindset and the understanding that even the experts always have something to learn or a new perspective to see. What do you want to grow in? Who can you learn from, and what can you give in return?

Seeing all the "experts" on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter can put us into a downward spiral of inferiority. You intellectually know that not everything you see on social media is real, but it can be hard to ignore the beautiful images of people's seemingly perfect lives and incredible accomplishments. Don't get fooled, and shut it down before social media gets the best of you. 

If you experience impostor syndrome, you may have a hard time receiving compliments and positive feedback. We can often be our harshest critics, so practice non-judgment and treating yourself with kindness and compassion by saying positive affirmations out loud to yourself, visualizing your success, and outwardly celebrating your strengths and accomplishments. 

Remember, you have personal agency and a choice in how you see yourself and how you allow others to see you. Embrace your intelligence and accomplishments, get comfortable with your emotions, share your stories, stay confident in your knowledge and values, and know that the reason you got that promotion, that award, that acknowledgment is for no other reason than because you deserve it.