What is impostor syndrome? Thanks for asking!

Impostor syndrome is a psychological phenomenon which causes many high achievers to feel like frauds who haven’t really earned their success. Those affected think their accomplishments are simply down to luck, or other factors out of their control. 

Up to 70% of people are affected by impostor syndrome at some point in their life, according to the Journal of Behavioural Science. In the worst cases, it can be a crippling barrier which prevents us from achieving our potential.

How did we get to know about impostor syndrome?  

The term was coined in 1978 by American psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes. They first looked at impostor syndrome in female college students, but further research has shown that men also experience such feelings. Clance later created a multiple choice survey, scored out of 100, which helps individuals evaluate the extent to which they have impostor phenomenon characteristics.

Another impostor syndrome expert is Dr. Valerie Young, author of The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women. Young categorised impostors into five subgroups: perfectionists, superwomen or men, natural geniuses, soloists and experts.

Even some of the human race’s highest achievers can experience feelings of fraudulence. Award-winning author Maya Angelou is one example, as is Albert Einstein, who described himself as an “involuntary swindler”. 

It’s important to underline that impostor syndrome isn’t necessarily a permanent state, rather a reaction to several factors which cause us to doubt ourselves. 

Where does this need to put ourselves down come from? How can we effectively deal with impostor syndrome? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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