Imposter syndrome is the feeling that you are a fraud, and that someone will soon find you out. It tends to arrive with success, such as a new job, a promotion or a place on a course. The research does not call it an illness.
A 2020 review of the research says:
Impostor syndrome is not a recognized psychiatric disorder.
The psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes described it in 1978, in women who had achieved a great deal. They called it the imposter phenomenon. We use the everyday name on this page, but we mean what they meant: an experience, not an illness.
Sources: Bravata et al. 2020, Clance & Imes 1978
How it sounds
You may recognise some of these:
- You put your successes down to luck, timing or other people
- You expect to be found out after every new role or piece of praise
- You prepare far more than you need to, in case you are caught short
- Praise makes you uneasy, and you wait for the catch
- You think everyone else knows what they are doing
Many people who feel this way believe they are the only one, and that everyone else is fine.
Low self-esteem is a harsh opinion of yourself across your whole life. Imposter feelings gather around achievement, and the fear of being found out. Our page on low self-esteem covers the wider pattern.
Source: HEE: imposter phenomenon
How common it is
A 2020 review gathered 62 studies of imposter feelings. Reported rates varied widely, because each study measured it in its own way.
The lowest rate was 9%. The highest was 82%. The feeling is common, even if nobody has one reliable figure.
The same review found it often goes along with depression and anxiety. It was also linked with burnout at work. If you work longer and longer to stay ahead of being found out, read about burnout at work.
Source: Bravata et al. 2020
It is not only in your head
Sometimes the room is the problem. You might be the first in your family at university, or one of few people like you at work. Being made to feel you do not belong is not the same as lacking ability.
A 2026 review of the research found that women and people from under-represented groups report stronger imposter feelings. Its authors put it this way:
Impostorism may be less about "feeling fraudulent" and more about being made to feel illegitimate by systemic exclusion.
Every approach that review found acted on the person alone, not on their setting. It warned that this frames a fair response to your setting as a fault in you. A good professional looks at both.
Source: Gisselbaek et al. 2026
What the research shows
In 2020, a review found no published study of anything meant to help with imposter feelings. By 2026, a review of reviews found some. Coaching, online self-study and mindfulness "showed potential", but there were "few high-quality studies".
So we will not promise that the feeling will go. A professional can give you time and room to look at it closely, and to decide what to do.
Sources: Bravata et al. 2020, Gisselbaek et al. 2026
Coaching or counselling
Coaching is not therapy
Coaching has a developmental focus. It works on goals, change and action, not on understanding the past or recovering from trauma. A coach does not treat, diagnose or cure a mental health condition.
If your mental health is the problem, a therapist or counsellor is the right place to start. How to find the right professional.
Health Education England's professional support unit in London gives this advice:
Seek help through coaching and / or counselling.
Which fits depends on where the feeling lives.
| A coach may fit better when | A therapist or counsellor may fit better when |
|---|---|
| The doubt shows up at work or study | The doubt spreads across your whole life |
| It holds you back from a goal, such as a new role | It started long ago, perhaps in childhood |
| You want to act on it between sessions | It comes with anxiety or low mood |
If you are weighing the two, our guide to therapy, coaching or hypnotherapy sets them side by side.
If the doubt came with a new job or a first team, read about work and career. That page also explains how we check a coach's accreditation.
Source: HEE: imposter phenomenon
Who to look for
Ask a professional whether they have worked with imposter feelings before. Ask too whether they will look at your setting, not only at you. You can also tell us if you would prefer a professional who shares part of your background.
Tell us when the feeling shows up and what it stops you doing. We will find a professional who can help you look at it.
Thanks for your interest. We're not taking on new clients at the moment.
Where does the doubt show up for you?
We ask what matters to you, then find professionals who fit.
- I keep waiting for someone to realise I cannot do my job
- I put every success down to luck
- I am the first in my family to get here and I feel out of place
- I got the promotion and now I feel like a fraud
References
- Bravata, D. M. et al. (2020). Prevalence, predictors, and treatment of impostor syndrome: a systematic review. Journal of General Internal Medicine. doi:10.1007/s11606-019-05364-1
- Clance, P. R. & Imes, S. A. (1978). The imposter phenomenon in high achieving women: dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice. doi:10.1037/h0086006
- Gisselbaek, M. et al. (2026). Rethinking the impostor phenomenon: an umbrella review of concept, context and interventions. Medical Education. doi:10.1111/medu.70076
- Health Education England, Professional Support Unit London (2026). Imposter phenomenon. Link
