DISCUSSIONS

Which Type of Imposter Syndrome Are You?

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Yamini Bangarusamy

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Which Type of Imposter Syndrome Are You?

Did you know there are different types of imposter syndrome?!

THE LINEUP

The Perfectionist – You feel like anything less than flawless is failure.

The Expert – You never feel ready enough and think you need to know everything before you begin.

The Soloist – You feel like asking for help means you're not capable.

The Natural Genius – You believe if something doesn’t come easily, you’re not smart enough.

The Superwoman/Superperson – You measure your worth by how much you can juggle and push yourself to do it all.

Which one are you?

Personally, I’m pretty sure I’m all five depending on how many coffees I've had so far and the number of tabs I have open on my laptop!

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25 Comments

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  1. Sussana Young

    Love this post!

  2. Yamini Bangarusamy

    Thank you!

  3. Rachel

    The superwoman for me

  4. Anonymous

    The Expert + The Natural Genius

  5. Lisa Waters

    I feel like I am a little bit of all of them.

    Where would I add that I literally work myself up to a near panic attack when I get a personal meeting request from boss or manager - I always assume the worst.

  6. Anonymous

    Superpeson sweetened with a dose of Natural Genius and a spoonful of Soloist.

  7. Anonymous

    Same, all of them depending on the task. But measuring worth by how how I can do in comparison to others my age and younger

  8. The Career Counter

    all five :)

  9. Anonymous

    I am the Perfectionist and the Expert.

  10. Anonymous

    At some point the superwoman, natural genius, and Expert. I have my work cut out for me.

  11. Anonymous

    I have learned that slowing down can mean going fast. So I don't need to juggle so many balls or be a super woman. Reminding myself of perfectionism helped me to combat that. Asking for help was reinforced from work place. The expert is like a trick one. Venturing into the unknown is okay. Uncertainty is okay.

    The easy one- well it's about putting in effort incrementally, or the 80/20 rule, start with 20 percent of the work. Have a to do list with date and time for the week, with action plans. Try building discipline, by mindfulness, Journaling, and peers, make use of youtube. Observe others.

  12. Anonymous

    In my mid twenties it was all 5. I have dropped a couple.

  13. Anonymous

    I was (unintentionally) raised as a perfectionist and it's completely rocked my world in the worst way. I also resonate with the Soloist and Natural Genius bucket. Anyone have advice on how they overcame or are overcoming imposter syndrome?

  14. Wanda

    I agree and that I've experienced all five.

  15. Anonymous

    I'm all of them, honestly.

  16. Allyson McKenzie-James

    I exhibit characteristics of all but the expert. Seeing these descriptions and acknowledging how many apply to me was eye-opening.

  17. Paulla Fetzek, MSEd

    Hi Yamini!

    I'm a Perfectionist to a fault. Sometimes even a simple email has taken me 20 minutes because I tend to read and re-read what I've done.

    There are instances where this tendency has served me well. I don't say this boastfully, but I received my Master's degree with distinction - I carried a straight 4.0 the entire journey. That's also due to my perfectionism.

    The only one that doesn't resonate with me is the Natural Genius. I have no problem admitting I can't do everything right off the bat. I also have no problem admitting I don't know everything - despite being at my job now for over 22 years!

  18. Lindsey Pressley

    The perfectionist and it’s exhausting

  19. Anonymous

    Love it. Coffee and tabs.

    I feel like I have to have all the answers. It is so exhausting!

  20. Marquisha Thomas

    Definitely the perfectionist, and sometimes the superwoman!

  21. Melanie S

    Definitely all five! However, I'm sure that like a lot of people here, I'm *much more willing to give others' leeway in any of these aspects / traits.

  22. Debra Crumb Debra Crumb

    The expert and superwoman

  23. Anonymous

    The perfectionist & expert

  24. Anonymous

    The first four. I learned that juggling and pushing myself creates diminishing returns. If your employer want’s a juggler, hire a clown from the circus.

  25. Alicia Turley

    The Superwoman, The Natural Genius, and The Perfectionist... cursed.

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