"They become preoccupied with ideas like "healing" and "root causes,' believing they're able, at least in theory, to root out depression, anxiety, their poor self-image, and imposter phenomenon-also known as imposter syndrome, though it is not a syndrome, nor is it listed in the DSM. However, this utopian fantasy misses an important perspective: feeling like an imposter isn't necessarily bad or even debilitating."
"In response to being misperceived, they may utilize perfectionism, heavily curating their lives to mask their imagined flaws. The perfectionist lives with a dual mindset: on the one hand, they secretly harbor the near certainty they're irredeemably flawed; and, on the other, hope to hide their flaws long enough to, somehow, indirectly, but not exactly passively, prove to themselves they're wrong."
Many people fear making mistakes and pursue efforts to eliminate fear, believing effort and insight can permanently eradicate depression, anxiety, poor self-image, and imposter phenomenon. Feeling like an imposter is not inherently debilitating; problems arise from responses to that feeling. Imposterism involves a persistent sense of being misperceived when others' views feel overly positive. Perfectionism often follows, with people curating lives to mask imagined flaws and obsessively achieving in hopes that success will negate a poor self-view. That achievement-driven strategy functions as a form of magical thinking. Organizing life around hiding flaws becomes especially problematic. Choosing to stop waiting enables leaning into meaning and relationships.
Read at Psychology Today
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