Impostor syndrome: what it is, symptoms and how to treat it

Impostor syndrome is a psychological disorder that is more common in people who have great professional and/or academic achievements but who cannot accept or admit their success, as they believe that their achievements are luck or because someone helped them. In this way, the person lives in fear and thinks that at any moment they will be discovered as a fraud or impostor.

This disorder can cause symptoms such as anxiety, sadness, hopelessness, lack of motivation and despair, as the person has the feeling that they will fail in situations in which they normally succeed. Therefore, when something goes contrary to what was expected, the person reaffirms the negative beliefs they initially had.

It is important that the person seeks professional help, whether from a psychologist or psychiatrist, so that the disorder can be diagnosed and the most appropriate treatment can be initiated, which may involve individual or collective therapy.

Main symptoms

People with impostor syndrome typically exhibit 3 or more of the following behaviors:

1. Need to try too hard

People with impostor syndrome believe that they need to try too hard, much more than other people, to justify their achievements and because they think they know less than others. Perfectionism and overwork are used to help justify performance, but they cause a lot of anxiety and mental and physical exhaustion.

2. Self sabotage

People with this syndrome believe that failure is inevitable and that at any moment someone experienced will unmask them in front of others. This generates anxiety, fear and worry, which can interfere with your performance and the quality of your work.

3. Fear of exposing yourself

It is common for people with impostor syndrome to always run away from moments where they can be evaluated or criticized. The choice of tasks and professions is often based on those in which they will be less noticeable, avoiding being the target of evaluations.

When they are evaluated, they demonstrate a great capacity to discredit the achievements obtained and the praise from other people, despite having good performance and success.

4. Comparison with others

Being a perfectionist, demanding of yourself and always thinking that you are inferior or know less than others, to the point of taking away all your merit, are some of the main characteristics of this syndrome. It may happen that a person feels that they are never good enough in relation to others, which creates a lot of anguish and dissatisfaction.

6. Wanting to please everyone

Trying to make a good impression, striving for charisma and the need to please everyone, at all times, are ways of trying to achieve approval, and to do so you can even subject yourself to humiliating situations.

Furthermore, a person with impostor syndrome goes through periods of great stress and anxiety because they think that, at any moment, more capable people will replace or unmask them. Therefore, it is very common for these people to develop symptoms of anxiety and depression.

How the diagnosis is made

Impostor syndrome must be diagnosed by a psychologist or psychiatrist through the signs and symptoms presented by people, and questions asked about the person’s daily life and personal, family and health history.

In addition, some tests may be performed to confirm the diagnosis, such as the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (EFIC), the Harvey Impostor Phenomenon Scale (EFIH) or the Leary Impostor Phenomenon Scale (EFIL).

How the treatment is carried out

Treatment for impostor syndrome must be guided by a psychologist or psychiatrist, who may recommend individual or group psychotherapy sessions with the aim of evaluating the doubts that the person has about themselves, as well as the worry and fear of failure.

Furthermore, some attitudes can help control the symptoms of this syndrome, such as:

• Have a mentor, or someone more experienced and trustworthy who you can ask for honest opinions and advice;
• Share concerns or anxieties with a friend;
• Accept your own defects and qualities, and avoid comparing yourself to others;
• Respect one’s own limitations, not setting unattainable goals or commitments that cannot be fulfilled;
• Accept that failures happen to anyone, and try to learn from them;
• Having a job that you enjoy, providing motivation and satisfaction.

Carrying out activities capable of relieving stress and anxiety, improving self-esteem and promoting self-knowledge, such as yoga, meditation and physical exercise, as well as investing in leisure time are very useful for treating this type of psychological change.