Here is a really informative article about it. This might become a very long thread.
www.verywellmind.com
"Impostor syndrome is the internal psychological experience of feeling like a phony in some area of your life, despite any success that you have achieved in that area."
I did not know there are different types. I insert the ones I can relate to.
I think I am very articulate (at least in my native language) but if you dig deeper you will see I am a fraud who claims a lot without much substance. I pretty good at deceiving people. Many people considered me very smart. Though I met one physics professor who saw through my charade. He did not consider me smart instead he considered my bold but shallow statements as extremely annoying. I think his considerations on my character fit. I don't agree with everything though. I would be interested whether he would call me an imposter and what he would say about therapists that claimed I had the impostor syndrome. He considered my doubts of therapist advices as megalomaniac. That I want to determine which medication are the best for me. These people have studied it and I am just a layman (his stance - one example of it). Personally I think I had good arguments against that. But in this instance the answer of him would be interesting for me. So he believes the words of therapists. But what if exactly these people said I am actually smarter than I actually portray myself. Which would be the opposite of his conclusion.
I think these details and obsessions on this professor do not interest anyone so I just wasted the lifetime of the people who read that. I think the answer whether I have the impostor syndrome is very intricate. It might actually be that in some instances I fit well into that description. And on other occasions I really overestimate myself. I cannot say whether the latter one is pathological. I am obsessed what other people think of me. I can say when I was manic I was even more obsessed to impress people with my cogntiive skills and I enjoyed it. But I also did very stupid and kind of embarrassing shit. I talked about physics as if I was an expert on it despite the fact I barely know anything about it and people still believed me. I think the fact that I am quite eloquent helps me to convince people of my high intelligence. Mabye I am smart but not extraordinary smart. It is kind of janus-faced. Sometimes I really worry about the fraud that other people will see through of it. In other moments I really have inner mechanisms that force me to act as a smartass. For me it is always shameful when I don't know or understand something. I have problems to admit that in such situations.
The whole discussion is so fucking insular and self-absorbed. I mean the people in this forum have real problems and then I come with this over-analyzing of my own sorrows which tend to be a sort of overthinking. Though I think I am not the only one in this forum who he sees himself as an impostor.
I insert some interesting passages of the article.
"For some people, impostor syndrome can fuel motivation to achieve, but this usually comes at the cost of experiencing constant anxiety. You might over-prepare or work much harder than necessary, for instance, to "make sure" nobody finds out you are a fraud. Eventually, anxiety worsens and may lead to depression."
This fits so perfectly to my situation. However there is one minor difference. I think I am actually a fraud and that it is not only a condition in my case.
I think one fact is pretty obvious in my case. I would never have such good grades if I did not work so hard for it. I work very hard and I am very self-disciplined. This is the main reason for my good grades.
This One Common Phenomenon Is Holding You Back From Success
Impostor syndrome involves feeling like a fraud despite one's achievements. It can cause feelings of anxiety and affect relationships, school, and work. Learn how to cope with impostor syndrome.
"Impostor syndrome is the internal psychological experience of feeling like a phony in some area of your life, despite any success that you have achieved in that area."
I did not know there are different types. I insert the ones I can relate to.
- The Perfectionist. This type of imposter syndrome involves believing that, unless you were absolutely perfect, you could have done better. You feel like an imposter because your perfectionistic traits make you believe that you're not as good as others might think you are.
- The Expert. The expert feels like an imposter because they don't know everything there is to know about a particular subject or topic, or they haven't mastered every step in a process. Because there is more for them to learn, they don't feel as if they've reached the rank of "expert.
- The Natural Genius. In this imposter syndrome type, you may feel like a fraud simply because you don't believe that you are naturally intelligent or competent. If you don't get something right the first time around or it takes you longer to master a skill, you feel like an imposter.
I think I am very articulate (at least in my native language) but if you dig deeper you will see I am a fraud who claims a lot without much substance. I pretty good at deceiving people. Many people considered me very smart. Though I met one physics professor who saw through my charade. He did not consider me smart instead he considered my bold but shallow statements as extremely annoying. I think his considerations on my character fit. I don't agree with everything though. I would be interested whether he would call me an imposter and what he would say about therapists that claimed I had the impostor syndrome. He considered my doubts of therapist advices as megalomaniac. That I want to determine which medication are the best for me. These people have studied it and I am just a layman (his stance - one example of it). Personally I think I had good arguments against that. But in this instance the answer of him would be interesting for me. So he believes the words of therapists. But what if exactly these people said I am actually smarter than I actually portray myself. Which would be the opposite of his conclusion.
I think these details and obsessions on this professor do not interest anyone so I just wasted the lifetime of the people who read that. I think the answer whether I have the impostor syndrome is very intricate. It might actually be that in some instances I fit well into that description. And on other occasions I really overestimate myself. I cannot say whether the latter one is pathological. I am obsessed what other people think of me. I can say when I was manic I was even more obsessed to impress people with my cogntiive skills and I enjoyed it. But I also did very stupid and kind of embarrassing shit. I talked about physics as if I was an expert on it despite the fact I barely know anything about it and people still believed me. I think the fact that I am quite eloquent helps me to convince people of my high intelligence. Mabye I am smart but not extraordinary smart. It is kind of janus-faced. Sometimes I really worry about the fraud that other people will see through of it. In other moments I really have inner mechanisms that force me to act as a smartass. For me it is always shameful when I don't know or understand something. I have problems to admit that in such situations.
The whole discussion is so fucking insular and self-absorbed. I mean the people in this forum have real problems and then I come with this over-analyzing of my own sorrows which tend to be a sort of overthinking. Though I think I am not the only one in this forum who he sees himself as an impostor.
I insert some interesting passages of the article.
"For some people, impostor syndrome can fuel motivation to achieve, but this usually comes at the cost of experiencing constant anxiety. You might over-prepare or work much harder than necessary, for instance, to "make sure" nobody finds out you are a fraud. Eventually, anxiety worsens and may lead to depression."
This fits so perfectly to my situation. However there is one minor difference. I think I am actually a fraud and that it is not only a condition in my case.
I think one fact is pretty obvious in my case. I would never have such good grades if I did not work so hard for it. I work very hard and I am very self-disciplined. This is the main reason for my good grades.
- Do you agonize over even the smallest mistakes or flaws in your work? Yes indeed
- Do you attribute your success to luck or outside factors? Maybe
- Are you sensitive to even constructive criticism? No
- Do you feel like you will inevitably be found out as a phony? Yes I am scared about that when I am around extremely smart people (like this professor)
- Do you downplay your own expertise, even in areas where you are genuinely more skilled than others? I don't think I have any expertise but when I am around people I act like it.
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