You do not have imposter syndrome, because imposter syndrome does not exist.
If you are a con man/identity thief/etc., then you are an impostor, and probably have impostor syndrome. Otherwise, you can’t be an impostor.
the DEMON of IMPOSTER SYNDROME
I’d say this post is wrong, that there are people who doubt themselves—but the thesis is that this isn’t true for most, but overestimation is (true for most).
Absent selection pressures,
I disagree with the thesis, but agree with the (concrete) recommendations.
The worst thing, of course, would be to continue to center your life around some hobby only because of your own inflated self-perceptions.
This seems a tad specific, and goes the opposite of the direction of the rest of the piece.
and it’s because we have a lot of our self-image riding on it, not because we’re chronically depressed.
This whole piece is about how people are wrong. Are people usually right about knowing they’re not depressed? (People around them? Their coworkers?)
[I reply multiple times to comments with multiple independent critiques of my post]
>and it’s because we have a lot of our self-image riding on it, not because we’re chronically depressed.
This whole piece is about how people are wrong. Are people usually right about knowing they’re not depressed? (People around them? Their coworkers?)
Depression was the wrong word. My coworkers may be depressed and I don’t quite know if I’d notice. But if depression were the reason they doubted themselves endlessly, there’d be no reason to invent “imposter syndrome” except to describe a symptom of depression.
Although, as someone who was hospitalized because of depression, most of the people who have described themselves as former (or current) imposter syndrome sufferers did not seem to be depressed before self-diagnosis.
Yes. My definition of “imposter syndrome” is not “imposters”. It is an independent and diagnostically valuable delusion in which someone, despite good evidence via their achievements, believes they are incompetent frauds. My thesis is that people who truly underestimate themselves are rare and that imposter syndrome as defined here is not really a prevalent delusion, but a meme propagated because it is psychologically comforting.
Identity thieves do not suffer from imposter syndrome because their self-perception is correct and is not part of a wider pattern of inconsistent reasoning.
If you are a con man/identity thief/etc., then you are an impostor, and probably have impostor syndrome. Otherwise, you can’t be an impostor.
I’d say this post is wrong, that there are people who doubt themselves—but the thesis is that this isn’t true for most, but overestimation is (true for most).
I disagree with the thesis, but agree with the (concrete) recommendations.
This seems a tad specific, and goes the opposite of the direction of the rest of the piece.
This whole piece is about how people are wrong. Are people usually right about knowing they’re not depressed? (People around them? Their coworkers?)
[I reply multiple times to comments with multiple independent critiques of my post]
Depression was the wrong word. My coworkers may be depressed and I don’t quite know if I’d notice. But if depression were the reason they doubted themselves endlessly, there’d be no reason to invent “imposter syndrome” except to describe a symptom of depression.
Although, as someone who was hospitalized because of depression, most of the people who have described themselves as former (or current) imposter syndrome sufferers did not seem to be depressed before self-diagnosis.
?
Edited for clarity, though it doesn’t match the OP’s style anymore. (And I’m still salty about the clickbait title.)
[I reply multiple times to comments with multiple independent critiques of my post]
Imposter syndrome is supposed to be a *delusion*. If you are actively impersonating someone, thinking you are doing that is not imposter syndrome.
The post states that “impostor syndrome does not exist”. Is this meant seriously and straightforwardly?
Yes. My definition of “imposter syndrome” is not “imposters”. It is an independent and diagnostically valuable delusion in which someone, despite good evidence via their achievements, believes they are incompetent frauds. My thesis is that people who truly underestimate themselves are rare and that imposter syndrome as defined here is not really a prevalent delusion, but a meme propagated because it is psychologically comforting.
Identity thieves do not suffer from imposter syndrome because their self-perception is correct and is not part of a wider pattern of inconsistent reasoning.