Have you ever felt that you’ve only got where you are through luck? Or that you were in the right place at the right time, and sooner or later someone will realise you don’t really know what you’re doing?
If so, you’re far from alone. This experience is known as the imposter phenomenon. It’s one of the most widely recognised experiences in working life, and it’s often misunderstood.
In this post, we look at what the imposter phenomenon is, why the language we use for it matters, and how it shows up in our thoughts, feelings and behaviour at work.
Phenomenon, not syndrome
Most people know this experience as “imposter syndrome”. The phrase is everywhere: in the media, in workplace conversations, in self-help books. But it isn’t the term the original researchers used.
In 1978, psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes published the first research on this topic. They called it the imposter phenomenon, and the difference is more than a technicality.
“Syndrome” suggests something medical: a defect or disorder within the individual that needs fixing. “Phenomenon” is broader. It acknowledges that something real is happening for the person, but that it happens within a wider system. It may show up in some contexts and for some groups of people more than others.
This matters because the way we frame a problem shapes how we respond to it. If we see imposter feelings purely as an individual flaw, we overlook the role that the system – the organisations, cultures and working conditions – play in creating and sustaining them.
What does it feel like?
At its core, the imposter phenomenon is an internal experience. People describe feeling like a phoney: that they’ve reached their current role through sheer luck, that they’re no brighter or more capable than anyone else, and that they’ve somehow fooled their way into their career.
The trouble with believing you got somewhere by luck is that luck can run out. If good fortune brought you here, bad fortune could just as easily take it away. That creates a persistent sense of uncertainty and instability, which is deeply uncomfortable.
It also means being permanently on guard, waiting to be found out. And that state of constant vigilance is exhausting.
The role of context
It’s important to recognise that imposter feelings don’t arise in a vacuum. Increasingly, the feeling of not being good enough is shaped by the system people work in.
Some organisational cultures pit colleagues against each other. In some sectors, including much of the UK public sector, jobs have been cut but the work hasn’t gone anywhere, so the demands on remaining staff have become unrealistic. In these environments, a fear of falling short is understandable. For some people, worries about job security are well founded: they see colleagues disappear regularly, or they’re reminded that they’re only as good as their last project, last piece of feedback or last sales figures.
These systemic pressures can intensify feelings that are already there. Or they can turn ordinary, appropriate self-doubt into something more entrenched and inflexible, where the only perceived option is to work harder, faster and longer.
How it shows up in our thinking
The imposter phenomenon is underpinned by some recognisable patterns of thought:
- All-or-nothing thinking. The world is seen in pass/fail terms. Every task is a test, and anything short of excellence feels like failure.
- A relentless pursuit of “better”. Many people experiencing imposter feelings struggle to say what “good enough” would look like. They aren’t aiming for a specific standard, just better, which is a target that can never be reached.
- Assumptions without evidence. People often believe they’re falling behind without checking whether that’s true. When asked how they know they aren’t performing well, many have no evidence, or the evidence they do have says the opposite.
- Unhelpful comparisons. Comparing ourselves to others is a normal human tendency. But when the role models we hold ourselves to are unrealistic, the comparison drives unhealthy behaviour: getting up earlier, working later, never quite measuring up.
- Magical thinking about time and energy. There’s often an unspoken belief that we can find more time, attention and energy than everyone else. In reality, these are limited resources that we have to mindfully invest each day and week. The only way to “create” more is to sacrifice evenings, weekends, rest and sleep.
How it shows up in our behaviour
The imposter phenomenon doesn’t stay in our heads. It shapes what we do, and the behavioural consequences can be significant. Common patterns include:
- Overwork and over-preparation. Covering every base, preparing to the nth degree and working long hours, in the hope that this will keep the feared exposure at bay.
- Chronic procrastination. Not the occasional, sometimes helpful kind of putting off, but constantly finding other things to do rather than facing the task.
- Overthinking and heightened anxiety. Going over things again and again – ruminating – fuelled by worry about how work will be judged.
- Risk avoidance. Steering clear of anything that might expose you as the fraud you fear you are. In an unsafe organisation, lower risk tolerance makes sense. But it can also mean avoiding high-profile projects or contact with senior decision-makers, which carries real career costs.
- The “just get through this” trap. Telling yourself you’ll rest once this demanding period is over. When it is over, the break rarely comes, because the next challenge is seen as another opportunity to sprint or excel.
When imposter feelings affect others
Our stereotype of someone with imposter feelings is usually a quiet, self-doubting person. But the phenomenon can look very different.
Some people respond to their fears by trying to control their environment so that no failure can happen at all. They may set impossibly high expectations for those around them and seek a level of perfection or control that isn’t achievable. Research on self-compassion and leadership has found that highly self-critical leaders tend to be critical of their staff as well, and that leaders with unhealthy perfectionist tendencies often pass those standards on to their teams.
The effects can ripple outward. Stress rises across a team, and sickness absence may increase. These leaders are frequently labelled as toxic or simply bad managers. But most people don’t come to work intending to make others miserable. Often, the behaviour is a by-product of a private struggle with self-doubt, fear of failure and catastrophic thinking about what will happen if things aren’t perfect. Being curious about why someone behaves this way is far more useful than condemning them for it.
Self-doubt or something deeper?
Not every moment of doubt is the imposter phenomenon. Feeling nervous before an important presentation, or uncertain when learning something new, is natural and often appropriate. That kind of self-doubt is temporary. It eases as we build skills and confidence.
Imposter feelings tend to be more deep-rooted and inflexible. One useful clue is how a person responds to feedback:
- People experiencing ordinary self-doubt will generally accept praise and take constructive criticism on board.
- People in the grip of the imposter phenomenon tend to dismiss every piece of positive feedback while dwelling intensely on any negative comment, even when it’s unconstructive or unfair.
A related distinction is between reflection and rumination. Reflection helps us learn: “This is what happened, and this is what I’ll do differently.” Rumination keeps us reliving a failure, real or perceived, without moving forward. If you notice you’re stuck agonising over criticism rather than absorbing it and acting on it, you may have tipped from self-doubt into imposter territory.
Where does it come from?
Imposter feelings usually have a history. In a recent episode of our podcast, Dr. Hayley Lewis shared one of the most helpful questions to ask: when do you first remember feeling this way? For many people, the answer lies in adolescence or school, perhaps hypercritical parents for whom a B+ wasn’t good enough, or a strong sense that achievement was the measure of worth. Some people also carry the hopes of earlier generations, such as being the first in the family to go to university or the one expected to secure a good, steady job, and feel those expectations as pressure.
In Acceptance and Commitment Coaching, we talk about the workability of behaviour. A pattern might be something you’re skilled at and do all the time, but is it actually working for you now? Many imposter-driven behaviours are like a tool that has been used over and over without asking whether it still fits the job. Putting yourself under intense pressure may have helped you pass exams. Carrying this approach into employment, and treating every working day as an another exam to pass is a different matter.
The bigger picture
Imposter phenomenon is worth taking seriously. Over time it can affect our wellbeing, our careers, our relationships and the people we work with. And while there is plenty individuals can do to help themselves, which we explore in the next post, it’s important not to lose sight of the context.
Organisations play a part in whether people feel like frauds, through the quality of their leadership and management, the feedback they provide, the development pathways they offer and the behaviour they role-model.
It’s not all down to the individual.
To learn more
Check out Ep 228 of ‘My Pocket Psych‘, where I interview the fantastic Dr Hayley Lewis about this topic and her approach to working on it with clients. And if you’d like to learn how working with a coaching psychologist could help you with your own experience of imposter phenomenon, get in touch and book a free chemistry session.