Imposter Syndrome: Part 1

It’s always been a bit of a puzzle for me: is perfectionism a good or a bad thing? Well, somewhat predictably, it turns out to be both. In Part 1 of 'The Imposter Syndrome' we explore the nature of perfectionism and the imposter syndrome. At the heart of unhealthy perfectionism is unrealistic standards and goals and an unhealthy focus on self. Unless something is 100% perfect it is perceived as a failure and there is always an implicit audience waiting to judge us negatively. But there are many high performers who rightly attribute their success to their perfectionism, and they don’t display the negative emotional, physical and psychological features of unhealthy perfectionism. To understand this, we examine Elizabeth Lombardo’s distinction between Perfectionistic Strivings and perfectionist concerns. We then see that the imposter syndrome is found in people who are high on perfectionistic concerns, and we examined how the punitive logic of such concerns plays out in everyday life.