The story of [I am not enough] and the Impostor Syndrome

Addressing Self-Criticism as Verbal Narrative

One of the most universal and paralyzing cognitive confusions is the "I am not enough" or "I am a fraud" story.

In clinical and personal development settings, this is often referred to as the Impostor Syndrome.

From ACT, we do not treat it as an actual clinical syndrome, but as a set of verbal rules and thoughts that the person has merged with.

The mind constantly generates comparative eva luations: "you are not as smart as them", "you lack preparation", "soon they will realize that you don't know what you are doing".

These eva luations are not objective facts, but narratives. They are stories that the mind tells itself to avoid social risk.

If the mind convinces you that you are a fraud, you will keep a low profile, not risk standing out, and therefore "protect" yourself from criticism or group rejection.

The problem arises when we merge with this narrative and stop applying for the promotion, publishing the artwork or giving the lecture.

We treat self-criticism as if it were an objective journalistic account of our worth, when in fact it is a primitive fear-based safety mechanism.

Therapeutic work consists of identifying this "Misery Radio" broadcasting in the background and learning to work while it plays, without letting it decide our actions.

Difference between real competence and the feeling of fraud

It is crucial to help the person distinguish between the reality of his or her competence and the internal feeling of being an imposter.

Often, the highest performing and most capable people are the ones who experience the most intense thoughts of doubt, precisely because they are aware of the vastness of knowledge and how much they can still learn.

Actual incompetence is often accompanied by a lack of awareness of one's own limitations (Dunning-Kruger effect), whereas the feeling of fraud is a purely emotional and verbal private event.

We can imagine an experienced architect who panics before presenting a large project.

His mind tells him, "It's a terrible design, they're going to laugh." If he merges with that thought, he might cancel the presentation.

However, if you review your plans, you'll see that they comply with all the regulations and design principles.

The competence is in the plans and your track record; the fraud is only in your internal narrative.

The goal is not to eliminate the feeling of being an imposter (which can return every time we level up or face a new challenge), but to learn to act with competence by carrying the feeling of fraud on our shoulders. Confidence is not the absence of doubts, but a detached relationship with them.

Summary

The Impostor Syndrome is treated as a fusion with narratives of inadequacy that the mind generates to avoid social risks, acting as a safety mechanism based on fear.

It is vital to differentiate between real competence and a sense of fraud; often, more capable people feel more self-doubt, whereas real incompetence often lacks such self-consciousness.

Therapy does not seek to eliminate the feeling of being an impostor, but to teach the person to act with competence and confidence while carrying those doubts, without letting them decide.