The World Needs More Imposter Syndrome

There are two psychological terms to describe the opposite traits of lack of confidence and over-confidence.  If people question their abilities or accomplishments and worry that they do not deserve credit or accolades, then they may have ‘Imposter Syndrome’.  If, on the other hand, they are over-confident and consider their accomplishments to be extraordinary and their talents to be under-rated, then that is termed a ‘Dunning-Kruger Syndrome’.  

Most people have experienced the imposter syndrome at some time in their lives.  When you receive compliments or an award you may humbly accept the accolade but feel secretly that you are really not so special and that you are a bit of an imposter.  You may feel that you were lucky or had the benefit of some set of circumstances that enabled the achievement – that you should really not be singled out for praise.

 

This type of reaction can become pathological in some cases, reflecting a general inferiority complex, and this is why there is much written about women and minorities having the imposter complex and thus limiting their achievements or success because of self-doubt.  This is an unfortunate occurrence and society should make every effort to affirm any achievement in a healthy manner.

 

But I believe there is a more pernicious tendency in this realm.  Once people begin to gain recognition, success or wealth they may initially be surprised and delighted.  In this early phase, they may have moments of imposter syndrome as they realistically appraise the nature of their achievements.  

 

But as their success grows, the steady drumbeat of reward and adulation has a corrupting influence.  They begin to believe what they hear as others gush over their accomplishments.  The lens through which they see the world and themselves begins to warp and the image of their prowess begins to dominate their view.  They forget that success has a large component of good fortune and that wealth begets more wealth and fame begets more fame.

 

Soon they believe that they have a unique gift or unerring intuition. They begin to imagine that their success implies a much broader genius at work than the domain in which their achievements lie.  They are soon convinced that they are simply more capable than the rest of humanity.  They grow weary of the folly of lesser beings.  They yearn to impose their brilliant thinking on the world in ever greater ways.

 

This ever-expanding self-aggrandizement is the opposite pathology of the imposter syndrome, and it is much more dangerous to humanity.  The Trumps and Putins and Musks of this world no longer experience the braking effect of self-doubt, and the juggernaut of their egotism goes unchecked.

 

But it is not only the most notorious cases of out-of-control vanity that trouble our world.  The increasing centralization of wealth in finance and technology has launched a thousand ships of freighter-sized egos.  Being suddenly bloated with hundreds of millions of dollars, an entourage of sycophants and endless social media adulation is a short path to narcissism and a conviction that the world simply must benefit from one’s genius.  We see these people everywhere and they wield their wealth and prestige in ways that roil our society, exacerbate tensions and waste valuable resources.

 

Yes, the world would be a much better place if every hedge fund mogul, real estate tycoon and  tech titan were to fall prey to the imposter syndrome and abandon their master-of-the-world fantasy.  There is something very healthy and cathartic in recognizing that one is at least partly an imposter. We are all only human after all, even those most showered with wealth and fame.  A little (or a lot) of humility is in order.