Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep are among the most accomplished actors in film history, beloved by audiences and honored with multiple Academy Awards.
They have also publicly confessed to worries that they will one day be declared “frauds,” unworthy of the attention and accolades they’ve earned through the years. As hard as it may be to imagine, Hanks and Streep say they often suffer from a condition known as “imposter syndrome,” feelings of self-doubt and the inability to believe that one’s own success is deserved or has been justifiably earned.
Though it’s not an “official” psychiatric diagnosis, imposter syndrome is nevertheless a very real phenomenon that affects everyone from teenagers who get the lead in their school’s spring musical to students in law school or medical school to adults who have achieved a lot but still harbor doubts about the legitimacy of those achievements.
Gregory Fricchione, MD, with Massachusetts General Hospital, says that in some cases, imposter syndrome may be related to perfectionism. Perfectionists may process struggles or less-than-perfect results as signs that they may not be as smart, talented, or accomplished as they think they are.
However, Dr. Fricchione also suggests that a more accurate imposter syndrome definition may be similar to the one that describes social anxiety. Social anxiety is the persistent fear of social situations in which a person feels they will be judged and potentially rejected by others. “Social anxiety is probably more universal in people who sometimes feel like an imposter,” he says.
What Is Imposter Syndrome?
The term “imposter syndrome” was coined in the late 1970s by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes. They initially used imposter syndrome symptoms to describe high-achieving women who nevertheless were gripped by self-doubt in both their personal and professional lives.
Through the years, imposter syndrome has been used to describe all kinds of people in all types of situations. There is no one imposter syndrome definition, but in general, it refers to a pattern in which people continually doubt their skills, intelligence, accomplishments, and other positive traits despite evidence to the contrary. An individual experiencing imposter syndrome may have the sense that others are more talented and more deserving of opportunities, and that he or she will be exposed as a phony or as having misled others.
Research suggests that as many as eight out of 10 people have felt like frauds at some point in their lives. It’s common among students admitted to elite colleges, people promoted in highly competitive work environments, and even among older adults who return to the workforce after retirement, questioning whether their experience translates well to a modern workplace. But imposter syndrome can also affect very personal situations, like new parents who question whether they are fit to raise a baby.
“If the idea of being fully accepted is in question, it causes a sense of uncertainty, which then causes stress,” Dr. Fricchione says.
Imposter Syndrome Symptoms
While there isn’t a formal imposter syndrome test, there is some self-assessment that may help you identify whether you are being too hard on yourself.
Some common imposter syndrome symptoms to look for in yourself include:
- believing that the work you do is never good enough
- feeling ashamed if you don’t know something or don’t know how to behave in certain social situations
- thinking that asking for help is a sign of failure or incompetence
- believing that you should complete every task with ease and then feeling like a failure if you can’t
Dr. Fricchione explains that imposter syndrome is common among high achievers, many of whom are likely to think negatively about themselves or their abilities. “It could be a person who had to give a presentation and prepared for a long time and worked really hard,” he says. “If they hit a home run, they still think it’s only because they had to work a hundred times harder than a really smart person would have had to.”
Knowing what imposter syndrome is and what is simply a passing episode of doubt or worry can help determine whether you need to address your feelings with formal therapy or lifestyle behaviors.
How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome
For some people, learning stress-management techniques like meditation and relaxation breathing can help get them through situations that might trigger imposter syndrome symptoms, Dr. Fricchione says.
He adds that imposter syndrome may lend itself well to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a kind of talk therapy that focuses on changing how you think about situations in order to change your feelings and behaviors related to those situations. CBT helps people identify unhelpful and unrealistic thoughts and then reframe their thinking to a more productive and healthier mindset.
Acceptance and commitment therapy also may help with imposter syndrome, Dr. Fricchione says. It’s a different type of talk therapy that helps people accept difficult thoughts and emotions and commit to making any necessary changes in order to ease their stress or anxiety.
Dr. Fricchione adds that you can learn how to overcome imposter syndrome by identifying and pursuing goals that align with your values and priorities. You may be more likely to feel like an imposter if you are in a situation that doesn’t seem like a good fit for your interests or principles.
“Just choose the endeavor that’s most important for you and believe in yourself enough to give it a whirl,” he says. “You can get past that fear of being rejected. …Remember that you can live a successful life if you live your values.”
He also suggests being easy on yourself. Give yourself the pep talk you would give your best friend, and remember that life is full of successes, failures, and mostly lots of outcomes that land somewhere in the middle. “People should give themselves some slack,” he says. “Life gives you so many challenges. Don’t let social anxiety or imposter syndrome let you practice avoidance of everything.”
