Naming the doubt
What imposter feelings are, their five faces and their roots.
- Level
- Bitesize
- Learning time
- 2 hours
- Where
- Imposter Syndrome and Confidence
- Price
- £39
When you step up to a higher level, what you paid in the last 12 months for lower-level courses inside the bigger course comes off its price, in proportion to how much of each is inside it, whichever topic it's from. Courses at the same or a lower level don't give credit against each other. A Focus course or above always costs at least £15. Read the full terms
Certificate of Completion
Overview and Outcomes.
Overview
This module sets out what the impostor phenomenon is, and is not, from Clance and Imes' 1978 research to Bravata and colleagues' 2020 systematic review. It examines why capable people feel it most, why it is not a diagnosis, why the popular 70 per cent figure lacks a research source, and how Clance's impostor cycle and six characteristics keep the feeling going. This module explores how the rules you hold about competence shape the doubt you feel, using Valerie Young's five competence types: the Perfectionist, the Expert, the Natural Genius, the Soloist and the Superhuman. It examines Curran and Hill's evidence that perfectionism is rising, Gaudreau's distinction between perfectionism and excellencism, and Dweck's growth mindset, with one practical move for each type. This module examines where impostor feelings come from across three layers: personal, transitional and structural. It draws on Tulshyan and Burey's critique of the label, Eagly and Karau's role congruity theory, Steele and Aronson's stereotype threat, Friedman and Laurison's The Class Ceiling and Walton and Cohen's belonging study, helping you tell learned doubt from doubt the room hands you.
What you'll develop
In this Bitesize, you will develop the ability to:
- Explain the impostor phenomenon as Clance and Imes described it, including why it is a recognised experience rather than a medical diagnosis.
- Assess claims about how common impostor feelings are, using the range of findings in Bravata and colleagues' 2020 review.
- Distinguish Valerie Young's five competence types and the private rule about competence that each one carries.
- Compare perfectionism with Gaudreau's excellencism, and use the difference to set good-enough standards in advance.
- Distinguish the personal, transitional and structural layers of impostor feelings, and the response each layer calls for.
The Modules.
2 hours of learning.
- 01Foundations: What Imposter Syndrome Is, and Is NotThis module sets out what the impostor phenomenon is, and is not, from Clance and Imes' 1978 research to Bravata and colleagues' 2020 systematic review. It examines why capable people feel it most, why it is not a diagnosis, why the popular 70 per cent figure lacks a research source, and how Clance's impostor cycle and six characteristics keep the feeling going.40 min
- 02Five Faces of Imposter FeelingsThis module explores how the rules you hold about competence shape the doubt you feel, using Valerie Young's five competence types: the Perfectionist, the Expert, the Natural Genius, the Soloist and the Superhuman. It examines Curran and Hill's evidence that perfectionism is rising, Gaudreau's distinction between perfectionism and excellencism, and Dweck's growth mindset, with one practical move for each type.38 min
- 03Where It Comes From: Personal, Social and StructuralThis module examines where impostor feelings come from across three layers: personal, transitional and structural. It draws on Tulshyan and Burey's critique of the label, Eagly and Karau's role congruity theory, Steele and Aronson's stereotype threat, Friedman and Laurison's The Class Ceiling and Walton and Cohen's belonging study, helping you tell learned doubt from doubt the room hands you.38 min
Keep going.
Part of the Imposter Syndrome and Confidence topic, also sold whole as Owning your place.
Go deeper, and pay only the difference
- You are hereBitesize, 2 hours, £39
- Next stepFocus, Understanding self-doubt, 3 hours, £69. Already own the Bitesize? You pay £30.
- The whole topicExplore, Owning your place, 5 hours 30 minutes, £129. Already own the Bitesize? You pay £90.
When you step up to a higher level, what you paid in the last 12 months for lower-level courses inside the bigger course comes off its price, in proportion to how much of each is inside it, whichever topic it's from. Courses at the same or a lower level don't give credit against each other. A Focus course or above always costs at least £15. Prices per person. Read the full terms