What Is Imposter Syndrome?

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The term "imposter syndrome" was never intended to pathologize a normal growth experience.

For technical experts who move into leadership, self-doubt is often a sign of gaining new competencies.

Knowing the difference between growth-related self-questioning and what needs clinical support is a skill.

What you're calling imposter syndrome isn't a syndrome, and it might not even be the problem you think it is. In 1978, psychologists Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne Imes introduced the concept, deliberately calling it the impostor phenomenon, not a syndrome. The distinction between a syndrome and a phenomenon is critical to understand.

A phenomenon describes an observable experience that happens to enough people to be worthy of studying and understanding better. A syndrome implies a diagnosable condition requiring intervention. The moment we attach "syndrome" to the word "imposter," we signal that something is clinically wrong with the person experiencing it.

Yet, for the vast majority of people I work with, not only is there nothing clinical “wrong” with them as individuals, but this feeling is often a sign that things are going right. In fact, it’s a normal feeling that is too often labeled as a problem: discomfort.

Growth Is Uncomfortable

In their research and what I see among my clients, it seems almost counterintuitive: the more highly credentialed and technically expert someone is, the more likely they report experiencing imposterism (a term I personally prefer to use).

Imagine a physician,........

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