Five Types of Impostor Syndrome: Recognize Yours and Learn To Change It

Finish these sentences…. 

If I was really capable and competent, then I could…. (Engage in or do what? Which would mean what about you?)

If I make a mistake, then…. (What will happen? What does it mean about you?)

If it’s not perfect, then…. (What will happen? What does it mean about you?)

These questions are drawing upon self-limiting beliefs that many people hold, and for many women, these are thoughts that often come from impostor syndrome. 

Let me start by raising my hand and telling you that I know my impostor well! You might be thinking, “Hang on, Dr. Tracy. You have a PhD.” And yes, while that is true, I once believed that I would no longer feel like an impostor once I completed my PhD. But here is the string of thoughts that flood my mind when I look at where my PhD certificate and college registration hang in my office (thoughts, I want to add, that I have heard from many of my colleagues much more advanced in their career)…

Careful, they might find out that you don’t really know what you’re talking about.

Is this even original? Are you even saying anything?

You have no idea what you’re talking about. Wrap this up and end this stuff now.

I have learned that no matter how many hours of training I engage in, it is the internal work that I continue to need to do to befriend and let go of my impostor syndrome.

What Is Impostor Syndrome?

The all-to-common experience of feeling like a fraud, impostor syndrome is a psychological phenomenon often brought on by anxiety that leads people to doubt themselves and question their capabilities. Impostor syndrome isn’t a diagnosis, but rather a self-limiting belief that at times, can be crippling for others at the fear that others will discover that they actually are a phony or a fake. 

Initially, research on impostor syndrome was understood to be an experience in high-performing women. However, it is now generally understood as an experience by many, irrespective of socioeconomic status, work background or degree of expertise. 

Five Types of Impostor

According to Dr. Valerie Young, there are five different types of impostor syndrome. 

1. The Perfectionist. The perfectionist tends to hold incredibly high standards for themself. Underneath these expectations is the experience of self-doubt, worry, and fear of not measuring up. Perfectionism then acts like a mask to protect yourself from these difficult feelings. Naturally, finding good enough is a challenge, you tend to engage in repeatedly checking your work, and you struggle to put your work in the public space (or experience excruciating fear if you do put yourself out there). Not being perfect triggers that you are not worthy. If you identify with the perfectionist, practice celebrating your achievements and challenge yourself to define a level of good enough. Likely no one taught you that making mistakes is part of learning and growing, so allow yourself to get comfortable with showing up imperfectly.

Your Practice: Practice defining yourself in other ways outside of your achievements (i.e., asking yourself, “What else do I like about me? What do others like about me?).

1. The Superhero. The superhero (or superwoman) tells herself that she can do it all and holds high expectations for herself. If this is you, you might have a long to-do list, work late, and continue to add more to your plate. You struggle to schedule in downtime, the things once meaningful to you slide away. However, as life’s demands continue to build (especially in motherhood), and the reality of not being able to do it all sets in, a feeling of unworthiness and impostor can show up.

Your Practice: Get intentional with scheduling play to find moments of flow and present-moment living. This also allows you to step out of striving (and the “doing” states) and into more thriving (and “being” states). We can’t put all of our energy into one aspect of our life: We are at risk of burnout when we stop saying yes to the things that fill us up.

1. The Natural Genius. The natural genius is known for being at the top of their class and seemingly effortlessly achieving success. However, as is natural once one moves into different environments, they experience different events where their achievement is not present or they need to work harder to get their desired results. Since achieving previously came so easily, the natural genius internalizes this struggle and feels impostor syndrome, believing that there is something wrong with them.

Your Practice: If you identify with the natural genius, you need to practice seeing yourself as a work in progress: You are always growing and just because something is hard doesn’t mean anything about your abilities. Challenge yourself to try things that are new to you to help you tap into a growth mindset.

1. The Soloist. The soloist tends to do everything on her own and believes that asking for help is a sign of weakness. If you identify with the soloist, you tend to keep your feelings and needs inside, not letting others see the weight of all that you are carrying. This is a protective mechanism, because the idea of someone seeing you struggle means that you are an impostor and that you can’t actually do the thing. The risk for the soloist is that she loses the common humanity that comes with seeing others’ struggle and knowing that she is never truly alone.

Your Practice: For the soloist, it is important to start asking for help from others and letting them see your vulnerability. Remind yourself that asking for support is not connected to a fault of yours; it actually makes you incredibly human.

1. The Expert. The expert believes that she should know every possible thing about a topic before she can share it with others or complete a project. If you identify with the expert, you likely spend excessive time researching and reading information, fearing that if you don’t “already know it all” then you are a fraud. Because of this fear, you probably have delays in your work as a result of over-researching and over-preparing. Believing that you need to be “an expert” before doing something stops you from applying to different jobs, trying new things, or putting yourself out there.

Your Practice: You will want to practice letting go of the need to know everything before you can do something, and trust that you have many inherent skills about you that will help you thrive through the next thing that you want to do

All of these experiences can lead to perfectionism, procrastination, impaired creativity, hyper focus, burnout, lack of growth mindset, delays in your business, and overall a loss of living a life that is filled with meaning. The different types of impostor syndrome can act as a guide. You might identify with several. Regardless of what type you are, practice bringing awareness to your experience and making conscious choices in your life that are different from the automatic ones guided by your impostor. We must keep in mind that all humans make mistakes, that we are perfectly imperfect, and that our vulnerability brings us a greater sense of connectivity and belongingness.

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