Impostor Syndrome

Anxiety, insecurity and doubts about one's ability. These feelings can be common when starting a new academic or professional journey. But attention, when constant, can be a psychic phenomenon known as "imposter syndrome." This name comes from the feeling of fraud that the person with the syndrome has, even though they have worked hard to achieve success. The disorder causes qualified people to see themselves with an illusory inferiority, perceiving themselves as disqualified and underestimating their own abilities. The person has a well-established technical competence, but attributes his or her successes to other factors, such as luck.

Unable to accept their own success, people with imposter syndrome may feel like frauds as they believe that they only occupy their current position because they have deceived their peers into believing that they are more intelligent or competent than they really are. The situation is opposite to another psychic phenomenon, known as the Dunning-Kruger effect. This phenomenon is characterized by illusory superiority. In it, poorly trained individuals or with low levels of knowledge on a given subject see themselves as superior to others. As a result, they make poorly informed decisions, resulting in failures. 

One behavior observed in most cases of impostor syndrome is self-sabotage. Due to fear of failing, the individual adopts reckless attitudes that end up resulting in the disappointment he or she tried to avoid. This can happen, even in other fields of life, such as in affective circles. For fear of disappointing their partners and leading to the end of a relationship, for example, these people adopt self-destructive behaviors that, consequently, leads to the end that they were trying to prevent.

The first scenario, in most situations involving mental suffering, is to recognize the condition. For that, it is recommended to consult a mental health professional. They can help the individual to identify the causes of the condition and the possible strategies to overcome it. As in other cases of psychological distress, there is no standard for treating impostor syndrome. It is necessary to identify the anchors and triggers of the disorder, individually, so that the health professional is able to direct the patient to the best possible course of treatment. 

In addition, it is recommended that the person with the condition seek a mentor in his or her professional life, an individual in whom he or she trusts and who can provide guidance, in a well structured way, for his/her social and professional performance. Imposter syndrome can also be indicative of the presence of other psychological suffering in the individual. The persistence of the disorder for prolonged periods can be an alert for the presence of depression, anxiety disorder or other suffering. Therefore, it is important to seek a health professional. 

References 

https://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2013/11/fraud 

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/overcoming-impostor-syndrome.htm