Understanding Imposter Syndrome and How to Break the Loop
You’d think that getting the job, landing the client, or being handed the mic would settle things. That at some point, confidence would catch up to competence. But for many people—especially those in high-performance fields or creative industries—that feeling never really arrives.
Instead, success brings something else: doubt. Sometimes louder than ever.
What Is Imposter Syndrome, Really?
Imposter Syndrome isn’t a formal diagnosis yet, but that hasn’t stopped it from infiltrating therapy offices, workplaces, and backstage green rooms. First described by Clance and Imes in 1978 among high-achieving women, it’s now recognized as a widespread issue across gender, age, and profession. Research by Bravata et al. (2020) shows it can affect anyone—but especially those who’ve worked hard to “earn their spot.”
It’s a glitch in how we attribute success. If you’re living with imposter syndrome, wins feel like flukes. You chalk them up to luck, timing, or someone else’s generosity. But failures? Those are “proof” you never deserved the win in the first place.
It’s Not Just in Your Head—But It Sort Of Is
Studies show that imposter phenomenon often show up alongside other mental health struggles: anxiety, low self-esteem, burnout, and even physical symptoms like tension and exhaustion (Bravata et al., 2020; Alzahrani et al., 2024). It’s a loop: the more pressure you face the more likely you are to fall into the cycle of self-doubt (Para et al., 2024).
Aparna Nancherla, a comedian who wrote “Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself, and Imposter Syndrome“, described it like this:
“The more opportunities I got, the more I felt like a fraud… It was demoralizing to have achieved the dream and then feel unhappier than ever.”
That’s performance anxiety with an added twist: even when you’re doing well, you don’t feel it.
Who Feels It Most?
Nobody’s immune, but imposter syndrome tends to hit hardest in high-pressure roles—healthcare workers, students, creatives, and anyone working in environments where intelligence and performance are constantly under scrutiny.
It also disproportionately affects people from underrepresented groups. When the environment subtly or overtly tells you “you don’t belong,” it’s easier to believe it—even when the hard evidence says otherwise.
Worth noting, Bravata et al. found that age is negatively correlated with imposter feelings—but only slightly. For some, it eases with time. For others, it just gets better hidden.
So What Actually Helps?
If you’ve ever told someone they’re doing well and they brush it off like you handed them a used tissue, you’ve seen it. Breaking the cycle isn’t just about positive affirmations or “power poses.” It’s about reframing core beliefs.
- Group therapy helps normalize these experiences (Bravata et al., 1985).
- Peer support fosters belonging and disrupts isolation (Para et al., 2024).
- Cognitive-behavioral work helps track attribution errors and re-anchor success in actual effort—not luck.
- And maybe most importantly, value-based self-anchoring—the idea that your worth isn’t tied to external approval, but internal integrity.
Nancherla puts it plainly:
“You can’t operate like that as an artist… chasing what other people expect of you.”
Final Thought
Imposter syndrome isn’t proof you’re not enough. It’s often proof you’re operating in a system—industry, institution, culture—that hasn’t caught up with your reality.
You’re not broken. You might just need a more accurate mirror.