The Empress Has No Clothes

“Imposter Syndrome”

Despite their accomplishments, people who suffer from imposter syndrome feel they are frauds and don’t deserve their success. This loss of confidence and its attendant fears damage and distort their self-image. People with imposter syndrome have much to offer and often do quite well, but their sense of self-worth doesn’t reflect their true value. People can overcome imposter syndrome, but while they are in its grip, they often can’t integrate their competencies and capabilities into their internal identity. They worry that, if they reveal themselves as they really are, others will not accept them. Their internal dialogue hammers them with such thoughts as, “You are not good enough” and “You don’t belong here.”

Do You Suffer Imposter Syndrome?

In 1978, psychotherapists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes defined imposter syndrome for the first time. They found that, “Despite outstanding academic and professional accomplishments, [those] who experience the impostor phenomenon persist in believing that they are really not bright and have fooled anyone who thinks otherwise” and that their achievements, even when they prove “superior intellectual...