Are you familiar with the term imposter syndrome? Imposter syndrome is the psychological experience of feeling like a “fake” or a “phony” despite any genuine success that you have achieved.
It can show up in the context of work, relationships, friendships or just overall. It’s a very common and frustrating phenomenon because it holds us back from the self-confidence we’ve earned and deserve to feel.
Originally, the concept of imposter syndrome was thought to apply mostly to high-achieving women. Since then, it has been recognized as a more widely experienced phenomenon. Imposter syndrome can affect anyone—no matter their social status, work background, skill level or degree of expertise.
According to researcher Dr. Valerie Young, there are five impostor types.
The first type is the perfectionist. This type of imposter syndrome involves believing that unless you were perfect, you could have done better. You feel like an imposter because your perfectionistic traits make you believe that you’re not as good as others might think you are.
Another type is the expert. The expert feels like an imposter because they don’t know everything there is to know about a particular subject or topic, or they haven’t mastered every step in a process. Because there is more for them to learn, they don’t feel as if they’ve reached the rank of “expert.”
Third, there is the natural genius. In this imposter syndrome type, you may feel like a fraud simply because you don’t believe that you are naturally intelligent or competent. If you don’t get something right the first time around or it takes you longer to master a skill, you feel like an imposter.
Then there is the soloist. It’s also possible to feel like an imposter if you must ask for help to reach a certain level or status. Since you couldn’t get there on your own, you question your competence or abilities.
The fifth type identified by Dr. Young is the “super person.” This type of imposter syndrome involves believing that you must be the hardest worker or reach the highest levels of achievement possible and, if you don’t, you are a fraud.
In part two of this series, we will explore more in depth about what causes imposter syndrome and how to cope with it.
Christina Martinez, LCSW, is the Program Manager of the Los Banos Clinic of Merced County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, located at 40 W. G. St., Suite C, in Los Banos.
