Up to 82% of people face impostor feelings at some time (Bravata et al., 2020).
Myth: Impostor syndrome is a personal flaw or lack of confidence.
Fact: While personal factors play a role, impostor syndrome often stems from systemic and social factors such as bias, underrepresentation, and unrealistic standards (Feenstra et al., 2020).
Have you ever felt like you’ve tricked everyone into thinking you’re smarter or more capable than you really are?
That uneasy feeling that you’re one mistake away from being found out is called impostor syndrome.
No matter how skilled or accomplished you are, impostor feelings can creep in.
Paradoxically, impostor syndrome is quite common, especially among high achievers. However, by using the right tools, those nagging doubts can become opportunities for growth and a more balanced sense of self.
But first, what exactly is impostor syndrome, and where does it come from?
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Impostor syndrome is a psychological pattern (Al Lawati et al., 2025) — a recurring way of feeling and thinking that guides the way you behave, react, make decisions, and navigate the world.
It is marked by persistent self-doubt, fear of being found out, difficulty internalizing success, and a tendency to attribute success to external factors such as luck, timing, or support (Clance & Imes, 1978; Breeze, 2018; Al Lawati et al., 2025).
Clance and Imes (1978) originally coined impostor syndrome as “impostor phenomenon” to describe high-achieving women who felt like frauds despite their objective success. It’s now recognized as universal and affects many people across professions and demographics (Abramson, 2021).
To recognize impostor syndrome in yourself or someone you know, it’s helpful to explore how it actually unfolds in a person’s daily life.
Recognizing Patterns: What Impostor Syndrome Feels Like
Impostor syndrome is more than a passing thought like, “I’m not sure I can do this.” It’s a repeated psychological pattern that can significantly affect your personal and professional life.
For many high achievers in particular, impostor feelings can follow a cycle or pattern (Huecker et al., 2023):
Imagine you’re given a new task, opportunity, or responsibility. However, instead of feeling glad or excited, a surge of doubt appears.
To manage the anxiety, you may overprepare obsessively or procrastinate out of fear.
Once you’ve completed the task, you may experience brief relief or a sense of success.
But because you attribute success to luck, timing, or external factors rather than your own competence, the self-doubt returns.
And so the cycle starts again.
That’s why reassurance and praise don’t stick: When success isn’t internalized, each new challenge or opportunity feels like starting from zero.
Reflecting on your own experience
The following questions are adapted from validated measures, including the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale and Harvey Impostor Phenomenon Scale. They aren’t diagnostic but can help you to reflect on whether this pattern feels familiar to you.
Can you relate to these common emotional and mental features (Feigofsky, 2022; Jöstl et al., 2015)?
Do you …
Often feel shame or self-doubt about your achievements or abilities?
Dread being evaluated or receiving feedback?
Fear failure or being seen as flawed?
Feel guilty or uncomfortable about your success?
Tend to overestimate others’ abilities and underestimate yours?
Struggle to be seen as successful by peers?
Have low self-esteem or find it hard to treat yourself compassionately?
Experience burnout, anxiety, depression, or other mental health difficulties connected to your sense of inadequacy?
To cope with these emotions, people often adopt certain strategies or behaviors (Huecker et al., 2023; Al Lawati et al., 2025).
Do you …
Often strive for perfection and feel dissatisfied with anything less?
Overwork or push yourself excessively to prove your worth?
Take on too many responsibilities to avoid feeling inadequate?
Procrastinate a lot?
Sometimes self-sabotage by avoiding new opportunities or acting impulsively?
Withdraw from social or professional situations for fear of being “found out”?
At its core, impostor syndrome is the fear of being exposed as inadequate, but it can manifest differently depending on personality or coping style (Feigofsky, 2022).
For high achievers, this fear often intensifies with increased responsibility and visibility.
The perfectionist
For a perfectionist, anything less than perfect is a failure. Even a strong performance can feel insufficient because standards are so high.
For example, a manager delivers a successful presentation but fixates on one slide that could have been neater and concludes their work was mediocre.
The natural genius
For the natural genius, achievement and success should come easily. However, if they have to work hard or persevere, it’s seen as evidence of their lack of ability.
For example, a student who needs to study hard for an exam assumes this means they’re not truly intelligent, even if they always get high grades.
The superman or superwoman
For these super beings, self-worth depends on excelling in every area. Struggling in one area feels like a complete failure.
For example, a working parent feels accomplished at work but feels like a total failure because they missed their child’s school performance.
The expert
Competence is based on how much knowledge/skill the expert has. They live in constant fear of being exposed as inadequate if there’s a gap in their knowledge or skills.
For example, a therapist with years of experience hesitates to speak at a conference because they’re worried someone will ask a question they can’t answer perfectly.
The soloist
For the soloist, unless they’ve achieved success independently, it doesn’t count; asking for help is seen as failure or weakness.
Psychological Roots of Impostor Syndrome
Impostor syndrome rarely appears out of nowhere. These feelings tend to develop gradually and are the product of multiple influences interacting over time.
Understanding their roots can help you move from feeling there’s something wrong with you to recognizing patterns and taking action.
Several psychological perspectives can help explain how impostor feelings take hold and why they persist:
Cognitive-behavioral perspective
Impostor feelings could stem from distorted thought patterns, such as attributing success to luck, which can reinforce self-doubt (Bravata et al., 2020).
Personality traits
Perfectionism and neuroticism might increase the risk of experiencing impostor syndrome. The former never feels they’ve done well enough, and the latter is prone to experience anxiety and self-doubt (Sawant et al., 2023).
Upbringing
Children growing up in families that prized achievement, comparison, or conditional approval might internalize that their worth depends on external validation. Such early experiences can lead to persistent self-doubt and a fear of being found out (Clance & Imes, 1978).
Social comparison theory
The social comparison theory suggests that impostor feelings are heightened when we base our self-evaluation on external comparisons, including social media (Al Lawati et al., 2025).
Evolutionary and neurobiological standpoint
Impostor feelings may have once been adaptive survival responses. Being humble and cautious could have helped group cohesion, but in today’s achievement-driven society, these instincts can backfire and fuel anxiety and self-criticism (Chrousos et al., 2020).
A Take-Home Message
Impostor syndrome (or phenomenon) is a common psychological experience, particularly among capable and high-achieving individuals.
It develops from a mix of personal, social, and cultural factors, including perfectionism, comparison, bias, and systemic inequality.
Over time, persistent self-doubt can contribute to mental health difficulties such as anxiety, depression, burnout, and low self-esteem (Bravata et al., 2020).
Understanding what impostor syndrome is and how common it is among top achievers can aid you in the first steps toward change.
What’s next?
In a follow-up article, we will look at how to deal with impostor syndrome. It is possible to manage impostor feelings and build a more realistic sense of your abilities and skills. You may also want to do an impostor syndrome test, offered in the linked article.
No, impostor syndrome is not considered a psychiatric disorder but is best understood as a psychological pattern rooted in self-perception, social context, and environmental pressures. However, it can exacerbate mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and burnout (Bravata et al., 2020).
Who is most likely to experience it?
Anyone can experience impostor syndrome. However, it’s particularly common among high achievers (Huecker et al., 2023), women (Clance & Imes, 1978), marginalized or underrepresented groups (Feenstra et al., 2020), students, academics, medical professionals, and those working in creative fields (Al Lawati et al., 2025).
Al Lawati, A., Al Rawahi, N., Waladwadi, T., Almadailwi, R., Alhabsi, A., Al Lawati, H., Al-Mahrouqi, T., & Al Sinawi, H. (2025). Impostor phenomenon: A narrative review of manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment. Middle East Current Psychiatry, 32, Article 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43045-025-00512-2
Bravata, D. M., Watts, S. A., Keefer, A. L., Madhusudhan, D. K., Taylor, K. T., Clark, D. M., Nelson, R. S., Cokley, K. O., & Hagg, H. K. (2020). Prevalence, predictors, and treatment of impostor syndrome: A systematic review. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 35(4), 1252–1275. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-019-05364-1
Breeze, M. (2018). Imposter syndrome as a public feeling. In Y. Taylor & K. Lahad (Eds.), Feeling academic in the neoliberal university: Feminist flights, fights and failures (pp. 191–219). Palgrave Macmillan Cham.
Chrousos, G. P., Mentis, A. F. A., & Dardiotis, E. (2020). Focusing on the neuro-psycho-biological and evolutionary underpinnings of the imposter syndrome. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 1553. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01553
Clance, P. R., & Imes, S. A. (1978). The impostor phenomenon in high achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 15(3), 241–247. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0086006
Feenstra, S., Begeny, C. T., Ryan, M. K., Rink, F. A., Stoker, J. I., & Jordan, J. (2020). Contextualizing the impostor “syndrome.” Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 575024. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.575024
Feigofsky, S. (2022). Imposter syndrome: Focus on fellows and early-career EPs. EP Lab Digest, 22(8), 36–37.
Jöstl, G., Bergsmann, E., Lüftenegger, M., Schober, B., & Spiel, C. (2015). When will they blow my cover? Zeitschrift für Psychologie, 220(2), 109–120. https://doi.org/10.1027/2151-2604/a000102
Sawant, N. S., Kamath, Y., Bajaj, U., Ajmera, K., & Lalwani, D. (2023). A study on impostor phenomenon, personality, and self-esteem of medical undergraduates and interns. Industrial Psychiatry Journal, 32(1), 136–141. https://doi.org/10.4103/ipj.ipj_59_22
About the author
Anna Drescher, is a mental health writer and editor with a background in psychology and psychotherapy. In addition to her writing and editorial work, Anna is a certified hypnotherapist and meditation teacher. She has extensive experience working within the mental health sector in various roles including support work, managing a service user involvement and coproduction project, and working as an assistant psychologist within the NHS in England.
Have you ever felt like you’ve tricked everyone into thinking you’re smarter or more capable than you really are?
Impostor syndrome is more than a passing thought like, “I’m not sure I can do this.” It’s a repeated psychological pattern that can significantly affect your personal and professional life.
Impostor syndrome rarely appears out of nowhere. These feelings tend to develop gradually and are the product of multiple influences interacting over time.
