Definition and Scope of the Impostor Syndrome

Concept, origin and clinical distinction

The phenomenon at hand was first identified in the 1970s by female clinical psychologists who observed a curious pattern in high-achieving women.

Although popularly referred to as a "syndrome," it is crucial to clarify at the outset that it is neither a clinical psychiatric diagnosis nor a mental illness.

Experts prefer to refer to it as a "phenomenon" or "impostor experience," as it describes a series of internal experiences and not a pathology.

This feeling of inadequacy is extremely common; current statistics estimate that approximately 70% of the population will experience these feelings at least once in their lifetime.

Understanding this prevalence is the first step in destigmatizing the experience: if you feel this way, you are not broken or defective; you are experiencing a common psychological situation.

Main symptomatology: The feeling of fraud.

At its core, this phenomenon affects individuals who, despite having objective evidence of their competence, possess a weakened self-image.

The defining characteristic is the internal conviction of being an intellectual or professional fraud.

Sufferers live in constant and exhausting fear of being "found out" or unmasked by their peers or supervisors.

This is not false modesty; these people are unable to internalize their successes.

When they achieve a goal, instead of attributing it to their ability, intelligence or effort, they consistently attribute it to uncontrollable external factors, such as luck, chance, or the fact that they have "fooled" others into believing they are more competent than they really are.

The gap between reality and perception

The core problem lies in a severe cognitive distortion: there is a disconnect between objective reality (one's achievements, qualifications and accumulated experience) and one's subjective perception of oneself.

While an external evaluation would confirm that the person is qualified, internally the individual feels that his or her skills do not match the requirements of his or her position.

This discrepancy creates a paradox where the greater the external success, the greater the internal anxiety, as the individual feels that he/she has raised the expectations of others to a level that he/she will not be able to maintain.

Social Context and Systemic Critique of the Label

It is vital to incorporate a modern critical perspective on this concept. Sometimes labeling someone with "imposter syndrome" can be counterproductive, especially in underrepresented groups or biased corporate environments.

By pathologizing insecurity as a purely individual problem ("you have the syndrome"), we run the risk of ignoring systemic factors.

A toxic work environment, lack of psychological safety or discrimination can give rise to legitimate doubts about one's own group membership.

Therefore, when diagnosing this phenomenon, we must ask ourselves: Is it an internal insecurity or is it a logical response to a system that does not validate me?

Summary

Initially identified in the 1970s, this phenomenon is not considered a psychiatric diagnosis, but an internal experience of inadequacy observed in high achievers.

It is an extremely common experience, with current statistics estimating that approximately 70% of the population will experience these feelings at least once in their lifetime.

Understanding its high prevalence helps to destigmatize the experience, allowing us to understand that feeling this way does not imply being broken, but rather going through a common and shared psychological situation.