Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome is a popular term used to describe the general feeling that our skills, accomplishments, or acceptance is unearned or undeserved, often with the accompanying fear that the people currently praising us will soon discover we’re a fraud. Those of us who deal with imposter syndrome often ascribe our success to luck or to others overestimating our intelligence or talent. The intensity of this feeling—and its accompanying fear of being “discovered”—can vary, negatively impacting our self-confidence, self-worth, and our ability to trust ourselves and others. There are many methods for constructively challenging this pattern, most notably affirmations and positive self-talk.