The 5 Types of Imposter Syndrome

Do you ever wonder how everyone else seems to have it all figured out, except you? Imposter syndrome affects an estimated that 70% of people at one point in their life so you are not alone.

These thoughts may occur when we are growing into a new role or taking on a new challenge. But for some individuals, this is a recurring thought loop that prevents them from believing they are deserving of their successes or that their achievements are due to their own efforts and skills.

Imposter syndrome is a psychological phenomenon that often occurs amongst high achieving individuals. Experts have found that individuals who experience imposter syndrome do not all view competence in the same way. Rather, there are five competence-types, which are internal rules individuals tend to follow within each type of imposter.

Valerie Young, a lead expert in imposter syndrome, has educated women on the phenomena for decades. She is the author of “The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from Imposter Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It” and has discovered the 5 Imposter Types.

Read along to understand your imposter type and ways to overcome limiting beliefs so you can trust your abilities, celebrate your successes, and thrive in your endeavors.

The Perfectionist

You never seem to be satisfied and always feel that your work could have been better. You expect 110%.

You often get fixated on perceived flaws or mistakes, rather than focusing on your strengths or what went well. You put a lot of pressure on yourself and feel high amounts of anxiety. 

Overcome Limiting Beliefs:

Aim for “good enough”. Check in with your true feelings to set realistic goals and standards for yourself and know when it is “good enough” for the day. Let yourself experience the power and relief from this.

The Natural Genius

You believe you should be good at whatever you do right away. You look at others who are masters of their craft and think they were born that way. Because of these beliefs, you set excessively lofty goals for yourself and feel crushed when you don’t succeed on your first try.

Disappointed and frustrated in yourself, you may jump from hobby to hobby, never giving yourself enough time to be a learner. You see setbacks as personal failures and question your competency.

Overcome Limiting Beliefs:

Cultivate a growth mindset where you can watch your abilities and skills increase with the amount of effort you put in. Focus on enjoying the process of learning.

The Superhero

You’re known to step up to the task, have no problem taking on extra responsibility, and doing things for others. You seem to work harder than your peers and always juggle many tasks at once.

You frequently feel inadequate, which drives you to push yourself as hard as possible, often denying your true feelings and needs.

Overcome Limiting Beliefs:

Recognize the feelings underneath the habit of people-pleasing. Learn to validate your feelings and needs before prioritizing others.

The Expert

You consider yourself a lifelong learner and never seem satisfied with your level of understanding.

You tend to delay starting things (e.g. projects or work tasks) because you need to prepare more. On paper you are highly skilled, although you seem to underrate your own expertise. It just never feels like enough. You always have to be doing more, or you fear you’re underachieving.

Overcome Limiting Beliefs:

Accept there is never an end to learning and you could always be doing more. Learn to differentiate when it is necessary to gain more knowledge and when the urge is driven by fear.

The Soloist

You prefer to work alone and are very individualistic.

You feel better about yourself when you’re productive and worse when you perceive yourself to be unproductive. You tend to reject any assistance or help from others and believe asking for or accepting help is a sign of incompetence or weakenss.

Overcome Limiting Beliefs:

Practice asking for help and learn to recognize when additional help or assistance would benefit you more than going about it alone. Identify your support group, meaning, the individuals who you can trust and know will have your back.

An important note is to refrain from labeling or diagnosing yourself here – this is simply to bring awareness to your own beliefs and behavior patterns that may not be serving you. The phenomenon of imposter syndrome affects all kinds of people from all walks of life. We can believe that these feelings are abnormal and that because we are experiencing them it means we are not worthy or are not doing well. As a therapist, I actually see the opposite – it’s usually when one is succeeding in life that one feels this way, and the more one achieves the more opportunities they have to feel like an imposter.

It’s my goal as a therapist to normalize conversations around mental health and remove the stigma of seeing a therapist.

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