Do you ever feel like you’re not smart enough or good enough? Are you afraid your classmates or coworkers will find out how inexperienced you are or how little you know? Are you convinced that you only succeed due to pure luck and not because of your skills or abilities? People with these anxieties might be experiencing something known as impostor syndrome.
An impostor is a person who acts like someone else in order to trick others. People with impostor syndrome feel like they’re pretending to be someone they’re not, but they’re actually not playing any tricks! People feeling this way may tell themselves that they’re not smart enough to be in the top class or not athleticenough to be on a sports team. Those who suffer from impostor syndrome may devaluetheir own abilities and may not think they deserve praise when someone says they have done a good job.
Impostor syndrome is very common. In fact, experts say 70% of us feel this way at some point in our lives. It occurs more frequently when we start a new job or meet a new group of people. Those who often feel like impostors may feel stressed, worried, or depressedand have low self-confidence. This syndrome is believed to result from several factors, including personality traits, family background, and childhood memories.
