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🧿 Psychology
Do you have impostor syndrome?
Measure your impostor feelings with a clinical scale.
Rate each statement 1 (not at all true) to 5 (very true). Think about your work or academic life.
1I often succeed on tasks even though I feared I would fail before starting.
2I avoid evaluations and am afraid of others finding out I'm not as capable as they think.
3When people praise me, I'm afraid I won't live up to their expectations in the future.
4I sometimes think I got my position through luck, timing, or knowing the right people.
5I tend to remember the times I did not do well more than the times I did well.
6When I receive recognition, I feel like I'm fooling everyone.
7I compare my abilities to those around me and think they may be more intelligent.
8I worry about being "found out" or exposed as not knowing enough.
9Before starting a project, I often over-prepare or procrastinate excessively.
10If I'm going to receive a promotion or recognition, I often think "it's about time" rather than feeling deserving.
What is impostor syndrome?
Impostor syndrome was first described by Clance & Imes (1978). It's the persistent feeling that you're a fraud despite objective evidence of competence. The CIPS (Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale) is the gold standard for measurement.
CIPS population norms (Clance 1985)
- 10-20: Few impostor feelings — healthy self-assessment
- 21-30: Moderate impostor feelings (most people)
- 31-40: Frequent impostor experience — affects decision-making
- 41-50: Intense impostor syndrome — may need professional support
Who gets impostor syndrome?
- 70% of people experience it at least once (Gravois 2007)
- More common in high-achievers — PhD students, executives, doctors
- Equal across genders (original research was women-only, but later studies show parity)
- Peaks during transitions — new jobs, promotions, academic milestones
- Correlated with perfectionism, anxiety, and neuroticism
- Albert Einstein, Maya Angelou, and Tina Fey all described impostor feelings
Sources: Clance & Imes (1978), Clance (1985, CIPS), Gravois (2007), International Journal of Behavioral Science.