Imposter syndrome
When your achievements feel like luck and you are waiting to be found out
Others see someone capable. You see someone who has been lucky so far and has to work twice as hard so that nobody notices. If that sounds familiar, this page is for you.
Imposter syndrome is a common name for the persistent feeling that you do not deserve your success and will sooner or later be exposed as less capable than people think. It is not a medical diagnosis. The idea goes back to a 1978 paper by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes on what they called the impostor phenomenon.
The feeling usually appears in people who have done well. A promotion arrives and instead of relief comes the thought that someone made a mistake. Praise from a manager is hard to take in, while one critical comment stays for days. Preparation grows longer every year because being caught unprepared feels like the worst thing that could happen.
Where the term comes from
In 1978 the psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes published a paper called The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women, based on their work with over 150 highly successful women. They described people who, despite degrees, honours and recognition, did not experience an inner sense of success and believed they had fooled everyone around them. Since then the term has spread well beyond its original setting, and today people of any gender and in many professions use it to describe their own experience.
"Imposter syndrome" is still not a diagnosis. It is a name for a pattern of thinking and feeling, and you don't need a label for it to be worth exploring.
Healthy self-doubt or imposter feelings
Some doubt is useful. It makes us check our work and ask for feedback. Imposter feelings are different in how they treat evidence.
| Healthy self-doubt | Imposter feelings | |
|---|---|---|
| After a success | "I did well, and I can learn from it" | "I was lucky, or they were being kind" |
| After a mistake | "I got this wrong, I'll fix it" | "Now they will see who I really am" |
| Praise | Taken in, even if with some embarrassment | Brushed off, explained away, or doubted |
| Preparation | Proportionate to the task | Excessive, driven by fear of exposure |
| Over time | Confidence grows with experience | New achievements do not change the feeling |
If you would like a quick orientation before reading further, try the imposter syndrome check. It takes about two minutes and is not a diagnosis.
How I work with this
I see adults individually for 50-minute sessions in Prague 1 or online, in English, Czech or Slovak. I am a psychologist, psychotherapist in training (Gestalt, Institut Dialog), working under supervision.
My master's thesis at Masaryk University in Brno looked at the relationship between self-esteem and risk behaviour in early adolescence. With adults, the questions are different, but the core one is similar: what do you base your sense of your own worth on, and who taught you to measure it that way?
In Gestalt therapy we start from what you bring and what you notice as we talk. We might look at the moment praise gets deflected, at the inner voice that keeps score, or at the rules you live by without having chosen them. I adapt the work to each person and keep it free of judgement; a sense of being judged is the last thing this theme needs.
Imposter feelings can spread beyond work. The constant effort of not being found out can feed anxiety, and when it goes on for years it can wear a person down into something closer to high-functioning depression. Sometimes the body reacts first, through tension, headaches or poor sleep; the page on psychosomatics covers that.
When this is not the right place
- Crisis. If you are in acute distress or thinking about harming yourself, please do not use the contact form. The page on when to seek help lists the crisis lines.
- Strong low mood or anxiety that is getting worse. Please see a GP or psychiatrist as well. Questions about medication belong with them, not with me.
- Teams and companies. I work with individuals only, not with groups or organisations.
Prices are on the pricing page. When you are ready, you can contact me by form, phone or email.
Last updated 1 October 2026
Questions and answers
Why do I feel like a fraud at work?
The feeling often has less to do with your actual performance than with how you read it. Success gets put down to luck, timing or other people's kindness, while mistakes feel like proof. Where that pattern comes from is different for each person, and it is something we can look at together.
How do I stop feeling like an imposter?
Trying to argue yourself out of it rarely works for long, because new achievements get explained away just like the old ones. It usually helps more to understand what the feeling protects and what it costs you. Therapy is one place to do that, and I cannot promise a set result.
Is imposter syndrome a mental illness?
No. It is not a diagnosis in the international classifications. It can, though, come together with anxiety, low mood or exhaustion, and if those are strong or long-lasting, it is worth talking to a doctor as well.
Is there a test for imposter syndrome?
There is a short orientation questionnaire on this site that takes about two minutes. It is not a diagnostic tool, and your answers stay in your browser. It can be a starting point for thinking about how strong these feelings are for you.
Can I talk about this in English if I work in an international company?
Yes. I work in English, Czech or Slovak. Working in a second language or an unfamiliar work culture can add to the feeling of not belonging, and it can help to talk about it in the language in which it happens.
Related pages
Curious what is behind the feeling?
Write a few lines about what brings you here. I will reply and we can agree on a first session in Prague 1 or online.