FEEL LIKE a fraud?

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE FAKING IT UNTIL YOU MAKE IT? TAKE NOTE - IMPOSTER SYNDROME MAY BE KEEPING YOU FROM RELISHING YOUR SUCCESS AND REACHING YOUR GOALS

- GLYNIS HORNING

You've worked hard for your success and you've climbed the ladder, so Y why do you struggle to enjoy it? Chances are you have what psychologists refer to as 'imposter syndrome'.

Although not a formally recognised mental-health disorder, it's been the subject of ongoing research and many self-help books since US psychologists Dr Pauline Clance and Dr Suzanne Imes coined the term in a 1978 study.

They examined a group of successful women who had high levels of self-doubt and struggled to internalise their success, dismissing it as the result of 'good timing' or 'chance', or somehow deceiving others into thinking they were smarter than they really were.

According to an article in the International Journal of Behavioral Sciences, imposter syndrome may affect up to 70% of the general population. From students to CEOs, actors to accountants, the syndrome can affect anyone, says Durban-based psychologist and life coach Claire Newton.

However, a recent South African study found that women in particular are more prone to experience it, says Professor Caren Scheepers, a senior lecturer at the University of Pretoria's Gordon Institute of Business Science.

SPOT THE SIGNS

Ask yourself these questions:

• Do you secretly worry that others will find out that you're not as smart and capable as they think you are?

• Do you dismiss your achievements as being a lucky fluke? 

• Do you shy away from challenges because of self-doubt?