5 Types of Imposter Syndrome Personalities
According to Dr. Valerie Young, an expert on imposter syndrome, there are five subtypes. In her book, The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Imposter Syndrome and How to Survive Despite It, she writes about why competent people suffer. It must be noted that each of these groups experiences the phenomenon differently, despite having many things in common.
This is dependent on how they perceive it. Here is a brief overview of how these manifests in each of the five types:
1. The perfectionist
2. The natural genius
3. The rugged individualist
4. The expert
5. The superhero
Type 1: The perfectionist
Those who set very high standards for themselves. It is natural for perfectionists to feel incompetent when mistakes occur. It doesn’t matter if they finish most of their tasks; they still feel like failures if they cannot complete a small section. Feelings of imposter syndrome may result from any mistake or fear of making errors. Remembering your accomplishments and refraining from self-criticism cannot be overstated.
Type 2: The Natural genius
A genius is highly capable of excelling in their early education and achieving success quickly. In adulthood, however, that narrative changes. Knocking things out of the park was easy, but now it requires much effort. Since success is no longer second nature to them, most of their accomplishments have resulted from significant struggles. This makes them feel that their work is “not good enough,” and this belief becomes the driving force for imposter syndrome to grow further.
Type 3: The rugged individualist
Imposter syndrome may cause a person to feel that their efforts have been in vain if they seek additional assistance. These individuals see this as a reflection of their inadequacy. To ask for help, one must possess an incredible amount of self-confidence. The fact that you are self-aware of your shortcomings is no sign of weakness. As long as we are humans, we need support from others which requires humility and vulnerability. You can save time and develop your delegation skills as soon as possible.
Type 4: The Expert
There is never a feeling of readiness for this person to start. Do you recognize yourself in this description? Before executing a project, do you need to spend insurmountable time researching and gathering information before completing a task? It is imperative to ensure that there are no loopholes in this process that will allow them to be identified as frauds in the future. Also, do you regularly undergo training to increase your knowledge and expertise? Due to this imposter syndrome, “experts” may never begin projects, apply for jobs, or speak up in meetings because they fear their answers may not be accurate.
Type 5: The Superhero
People tend to have higher expectations of themselves than of others. Superheroes must accomplish their goals both at work and at home. If one of these areas is weaker than the other, feelings of imposter syndrome are likely to be triggered. Superheroes push themselves harder than others to prove they are not imposters. The stress of outdoing those around you can negatively affect your mental health. Addressing feelings of inadequacy is the antidote to imposter syndrome.
