Like all impostors you are a master at coming up with ways to explain away your successes. See if you recognize yourself in any of these statements.

In some cases, though, what you assume is fear of success may in fact be a heightened sensitivity to the potential ramifications of success on your relationships with others.

Stereotypes matter because even so-called positive stereotypes limit us by falsely altering behavior.

Because you’re convinced that each new endeavor will be your undoing, your run-up to each test, presentation, or challenge brings tremendous anxiety and self-doubt. You think, One false move and I’m out. This apprehension is typically followed by success, and finally by skeptical relief. It is a pattern that endlessly repeats itself.

Non-impostors who work hard do so because that’s what’s required to get the job done. When their diligence pays off, it enhances their confidence. But when your work pays off, you mostly feel relief. Because your efforts are motivated by an underlying sense of phoniness, say Clance and Imes, any good feelings you have following a success are

When you have an “impostor moment,” it’s tremendously helpful to understand the possible reasons behind it. That’s because when you shift away from the personal it allows you to put your responses into perspective more quickly. It’s the difference between thinking Yikes, what an incompetent fraud I am! and knowing It makes perfect sense that I’d

Still others abandon long-cherished dreams of writing a book, becoming a photographer, or starting their own business, all in an attempt to avoid detection.

you’re probably not even aware of how automatic or well rehearsed your defensive behaviors truly are. Or that these behaviors have implications that go beyond avoiding detection.

“The Impostor Phenomenon in High Achieving Women.” Among the 162 high-achieving women they sampled, Clance and Imes uncovered a pervasive pattern of dismissing accomplishments and believing that their success would disappear once others discovered the awful secret that they were, in fact, “impostors.”