Meaning of impostor syndrome | Babel Free

Definitions

A psychological phenomenon in which a person is unable to internalize their accomplishments, remaining convinced that they do not deserve any accompanying success.

uncountable, usually

Equivalents

Examples

“The office family is not the only phenomenon to watch out for at work. Another common psychological pitfall is something called the "impostor syndrome."”

“The Myth of Growth and the surfacing of the Authentic Voice, with a dash of the Impostor Syndrome thrown in for good measure, combine to deprive women from deriving satisfaction out of the boring details of technical mastery.”

“We believe that this study suggests an important refinement in the study of women's career aspirations, one that moves us away from stereotypes about the women or the field, and certainly from any categorical ideas about women's fear of success, impostor syndromes, or self-sabotaging behavior.”

“My client, Sylvia, not her real name of course, combined fear of failure with the impostor syndrome.”

CEFR level