Do you belittle your own achievements and even don’t believe you are successful? The reason for these thoughts may be due to Imposter syndrome. Individuals experiencing imposter syndrome; They think that the compliments given to them are exaggerated, that their success in a job is coincidental or lucky, and they worry that one day their inadequacies will be revealed. What is Imposter Syndrome? Imposter syndrome was a concept first introduced by Psychologist Pauline R. Clance in 1978. Pauline R.C., who conducted her research with the article titled ‘Imposter Syndrome in Highly Successful Women’. For individuals with imposter syndrome, he said, “Despite the education, career, academic degrees, high achievements in standardized tests, and the appreciation of respected authorities, they lack an internal sense of success” and added; “They see themselves as having a false identity.” After this research, Imposter syndrome; It has been included in the literature as “beliefs that individuals form by ignoring their own success and that they are not actually good enough”. Imposter beliefs are not always related to career field; Individuals experiencing imposter syndrome say that they are not good enough parents, husbands, wives, or friends; In fact, they may even think that they are not a good enough person. What are the Symptoms of Imposter Syndrome? There are three distinct features in individuals experiencing imposter syndrome: • Thinking that the compliments they receive from others are ‘exaggerated’. • Persistently asserting that success is due to luck or an external factor. • Feeling anxious that inadequacy will one day emerge because success is related to external reasons. In Whom Is Imposter Syndrome Commonly Observed? Imposter syndrome can be observed in anyone, regardless of male or female, young or old. However; University students, academicians and those working in other creative fields, high achievers or individuals who achieve early success in their careers are more likely to experience Imposter syndrome than other groups. Because the lifestyle of people in this group may predispose them to experiencing Imposter syndrome. What are the Causes of Imposter Syndrome? Family dynamics play an important role in the formation of imposter feelings. For example; In a family structure with very successful siblings, the individual makes a lot of effort to be enough for the parents, and if the family does not appreciate this effort, the probability of the individual experiencing Imposter syndrome in adulthood increases. In short, wrong parental attitudes may predispose children to Imposter syndrome. In addition, traumatic childhood experiences can also form the basis for Imposter syndrome. What Should an Individual Experiencing Imposter Syndrome Do? • In order to evaluate success concretely, external comments should be ignored. • One should reward oneself for one’s strengths. • When people have intense beliefs about being unsuccessful and incompetent, the evidence supporting these thoughts should not be examined. • Supportive sentences should be made instead of judgmental sentences towards oneself. Individuals showing symptoms of imposter syndrome need to correct their deficiencies in evaluating positive concrete and abstract results. Since individuals have difficulty in this regard, expert support and social support are of great importance. In addition, individual psychotherapies are of great importance in bringing awareness to the lives of individuals.