What Is Imposter Syndrome?
By Zeina Moukarzel
MD, Anesthesiologist, Critical Care Physician, General Physician, Addiction Medicine
Reading Time:
1 minute
First described by Dr. Pauline Clance and Dr. Suzanne Imes in 1978, Impostor Syndrome is a psychological term describing someone who “feel like a fraud”.
What are some of its characteristics?
- It occurs among high achievers unable to accept their success and attributing it to luck than to hard works
- It often goes hand in hand with perfectionism
- It is a reaction to certain circumstances, like growing up in families that placed a big emphasis on achievement, being the youngest student in a program, being freshly graduate and not ready to handle new situations, being under pressure to achieve, belonging to minority, etc.
- It happens equally to both genders
- Most people will suffer in silence
- Symptoms are anxiety, self-doubt, procrastination, obsession over details, spending much unnecessary time on a task or at the opposite putting off a task by fear to not complete it perfectly…depression
Imposter Syndrome is not a clinical disorder recognized by the DSM-V*
How to cope with that feeling?
- Have a mentor and talk to him
- Recognize your ability to do well
- Admit that no one is perfect
- Talk to a psychologist, therapist
To know more about the Imposter Syndrome:
The Reality of Imposter Syndrome
Are You Suffering From Imposter Syndrome?
*Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
