Have you ever had someone praise your work presentation or a well-managed project — and your first thought were, “I don’t know why they’re making a big deal. Anyone could’ve done it.”
Or perhaps you’ve walked into a room full of seemingly accomplished peers and felt like you did not belong there, and that someone had mistakenly let you in?
If yes, you are not alone. It could be a sign of Impostor Syndrome.
As mentioned in CNA, a global survey published in 2021 screened 1,000 office workers in Singapore and found that nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) of Singapore workers reported experiencing imposter syndrome in 2020. This large percentage highlights the silent upsurge of self-doubt fueled by relentless benchmarking and an internalised fear of falling short, experienced among our workforce here in Singapore.
Let us take a closer look.
Defining Impostor Syndrome
Broadly speaking, Impostor Syndrome is a term used to represent the collective experiences of not feeling comfortable acknowledging and internalising one’s achievements, and minimising one’s sense of competency.
Superficially, it can appear like not wanting to seem arrogant, which does not sound all that bad, right? Well, Impostor Syndrome goes deeper than that.
Specifically speaking, an experience of Impostor Syndrome begins with a perception that one’s current environment (e.g. work, social setting) has an impossibly high standard that needs to be met.
Take note that this standard is entirely subjective because the actual expectations may not be impossibly high, but if a person regularly experiences those expectations as rigid, excessively evaluative, or unforgiving, it can lead to the development of Impostor Syndrome.
In other words, from a clinical standpoint, Impostor Syndrome can be defined as the chronic inability to internalise one’s success, despite concrete evidence of competence.
Over time, an individual with Impostor Syndrome starts building a discrete narrative that they are underperforming, even when the facts say otherwise.
So, when one receives praise but rejects it due to a feeling of inadequacy, this leads to that person feeling disingenuous or fake. This is where the “Impostor” part comes in — and because these thoughts and feelings persist even after repeated success, it becomes a “Syndrome”.
What Are The 5 Types Of Imposter Syndrome?
It is important to note that the 5 subtypes of Impostor Syndrome are simply used as easy-to-remember labels to better categorise certain sets of traits and variations in the experiences of IS.
The practical benefits of these labels are that they help people be more aware of subtype-specific warning signs, and realise what kind of unhelpful patterns they may get into.
Here are the commonly used subtypes:
1. The Perfectionist
Focuses on how tasks are performed, setting excessively high standards and feeling like a failure when these are not met.
2. The Expert
Measures competence based on what and how much they know, feeling inadequate if they lack knowledge in any area.
3. The Soloist
Believes that asking for help signifies failure, placing value on completing tasks independently.
4. The Natural Genius
Thinks they should grasp new concepts quickly and easily; struggling to understand something equates to failure.
5. The Superhuman
Judges themselves based on how many roles they can excel in simultaneously, feeling ashamed when they fall short in any area
The interventions for these subtypes can overlap.
How Do I Check If I Have Impostor Syndrome?
Here are some warning signs to look out for:
- You consistently attribute your success to external factors — “I just got lucky,”
- “The timing was good and had nothing to do with my efforts,” or “They were
- simply being kind.”
- You feel uncomfortable when receiving praise or compliments — these do not feel like they truly apply to you.
- You fear being “found out” or exposed as a fraud, even when you have been doing your job or role well for years.
- You compare yourself to others often, and always come out feeling “lesser than them.”
- You overwork or procrastinate in extremes — as if you are always trying to prove yourself or avoid being judged.
- You downplay achievements in front of others (“It wasn’t a big deal,” “Anyone could have done it too”).
A Real Case Example
Justina, a 32-year-old lawyer, was recently promoted to senior counsel. Even after winning a major case and receiving client praise, she confided during therapy that she felt her win “wasn’t that hard” and that others “could’ve done better.”
Her colleagues saw her as brilliant but Justina thought she had fooled them all, and felt guilty about it, but did not know how to process this, or if it was even right to feel this way.
What We Do In Therapy For Impostor Syndrome
As clinical psychologists, we start by aligning with our clients on what they want to change. Not everyone wants to eliminate every trace of self-doubt — and that is okay. Our first step is often to ask guiding questions via a visualisation exercise:
“What would your life look like without Impostor Syndrome?”
“At work, how would you behave differently if you believed you truly belonged?”
“Would you change your social life in any way? Would you speak up more? Set better boundaries?”
“Could you still strive for excellence without the fear of being ‘found out’?”
These kinds of reflections do more than just surface aspirations; they tell us how someone currently relates to their success, and what they fear might be lost without being driven by self-criticism.
How Interventions Might Look Like
Based on the client’s responses, we tailor our approach. Interventions could include:
- Strengthening self-esteem — not through toxic positivity, but by developing a balanced view of your strengths and limits.
- Reclaiming gratitude — learning how to be genuinely grateful for achievements, rather than superficially parroting that you are proud of it.
- Developing healthy internal validation — finding a way to measure success internally, rather than waiting for external reassurance.
- Taking small steps — whether it is learning to accept a compliment with a simple “Thank you,” or owning your ideas in meetings.
- Reflective journaling — tracking what “proof” exists that you are doing well and noticing when your inner voice discounts that.
In Justina’s case, we started with redefining her internal metric for success, explored how perfectionism had become a coping strategy, and eventually helped her construct a more compassionate, realistic narrative about her career journey.
Final Thoughts: You Are Not a Fraud, You Are Human!
Impostor Syndrome does not mean you are broken; instead, it means you care. You care about doing well, about being perceived accurately, and about holding yourself to high standards. But if that caring turns into chronic self-doubt and inner turmoil, you deserve support.
You are allowed to feel proud. You are allowed to feel capable. You are allowed to take up space.
FAQs About Imposter Syndrome
How do I fix impostor syndrome?
Impostor syndrome can be fixed by first understanding that it is a pattern of internalised self-doubt that requires the re-calibration of one’s cognitive and emotional interpretations of success. Or simply put, changing the way you think and feel about success, to make it more achievable yet still motivating enough to strive towards.
In therapy, I guide individuals to identify the perfectionistic standards and attributional biases fueling their feelings of fraudulence. Through cognitive restructuring, exposure to authentic feedback, and gradual tolerance of recognition, we work toward building a more integrated self-concept which can hold both competence and imperfection without invalidating achievement.
Is impostor syndrome a weakness?
Well, it can be unhelpful to have at times, but simply framing impostor syndrome as a weakness overlooks its adaptive origins. These origins often reflect a heightened sensitivity to cultural expectations, social comparisons, or workplace expectations, which can make the person more humble and self-reflective than without it.
So, instead, I would view it as a vulnerability in self-assessment rather than a core deficit or weakness.
How can you tell if someone has impostor syndrome?
The signs are subtle: a person with impostor syndrome may deflect praise, over-attribute success to luck, or compulsively over-prepare despite clear competence. Clinically speaking, it is less about observing overt incompetence and more about noticing the internal dissonance between external accomplishments and private self-doubt.
Written by: Mark Rozario, Senior Clinical Psychologist