5 types of imposter syndrome and how they can fuel your growth

I sat in the conference room, listening to some Corporate Guy talk about corporate brand standards, thinking, “How the hell did I end up here? I think someone made a big mistake.”

After all, I was trained as a therapist. And that wasn’t just my job. It was my IDENTITY.

And all this corporate speakage? It wasn’t me.

Sure, I looked the part in my business casual outfit. But inside, I felt like I had just accidentally stumbled into the men’s room.

It was a lot to adjust to — The cubicles, the jargon, the acronyms (ROI in Corporate America = “Return on Investment” not “Release of Information” for HIPAA compliance).

The Imposter Syndrome was REAL. 

You may be wired for imposter syndrome

I specialize in coaching high achievers — executives, entrepreneurs, athletes, etc. And you know what they all have in common? They like to do things WELL. 

So when a high achiever levels up and finds themselves in new territory, there’s gonna be some learning to do. And that can bring up all the impostery feels. Because while high achievers crave growth, they feel most confident in their comfort zones. 

That’s why I think imposter syndrome can actually be a really good thing. 

There are a lot of articles out there with advice on how to overcome your fraudster feelings. ‘Cause it’s hard to effectively address an issue if you don’t understand the root cause, you know?

But not all imposter syndrome is the samesies. Valerie Young identified five types of imposter syndrome. 

When you know your type, you can actually use it to your advantage. Plus, who doesn’t like to have things organized into categories? Just me?

Five types of imposter syndrome

1. The Perfectionist 

Perfectionists feel like imposters because their standard of success is perfection.  Anything less than perfect feels totally unacceptable and offensive. Butttttt, since being human comes with flaws and mistakes and morning breath — they constantly feel like they’re not good enough. 

How to use your perfectionism

You have super high standards and pay attention to details. You’re not afraid to put in the work. And since you always see what could’ve been better, you’ll easily find opportunities to grow.

To keep perfectionism from making you feel like an imposter, sucking all the joy out of your amazingness:

• Take time to think about all you’ve achieved, even if you’re not yet where you want to be

• Remember that your B- work equals most people’s A+ work

• Use mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow

• Work to improve because you’re going for greatness, not “good enoughness”

2. The Expert

Experts want to know allllll the things. But if they’re doing a thing where they might not yet know something, they tend to feel impostery. So they’re driven to research endlessly, thinking that at some point they might know enough to be qualified. The only problem? “Enough” isn’t a clear metric and there’s always more to learn.

How to use your expertness

You’re a natural researcher and you love to learn new things. You absorb new information quickly and you love when others share their knowledge and expertise, making you an excellent team player.

To keep your thirst to know all the things from making you feel like an imposter:

• Remember that even the most experty experts out there don’t know EVERYTHING there is to know

• Think about how a lawyer once told me I qualified as an “expert witness” because I knew more about a subject than the general public. Do you know more about a topic than most Joe Shmoes? Then you meet the legal definition of “expert”

• Know that expertise doesn’t just come from what you know. It also comes from curiosity and the ability to ask good questions and find solutions  

3. The Natural Genius

Natural Geniuses are smart and talented and have achieved a lot of success with ease. Which is cool, except now they judge their competence based on how easily and quickly they succeed. So when things go sideways or it takes a while to get up to speed, they feel like incompetent imposters.

How to use your genius

You’re smart, capable, and naturally talented, so you bring a lot of gifts to the table. As long as you don’t get discouraged and give up, you’re unstoppable. 

To keep your genius from making you feel like an imposter:

• Build resilience and failure tolerance. Make failing (and learning from it) as much as possible the goal

• Remember that the most successful people don’t fail LESS. They actually fail more. And they use those failures to learn and improve

• Approach tasks as a scientist running an experiment, not a student trying to get the answer “right”

4. The Soloist

Soloists are do-it-yourself types. They feel accomplished when they figure things out on their own. And asking for help feels like admitting incompetence. If they achieve something with others’ help, it doesn’t feel like an achievement and they get those imposter feels. 

How to use your solo-ism

You’re not afraid of hard work. You like a challenge. And you’re willing to work as long and as hard as it takes to achieve your goals. 

To keep your lone-wolf tendencies from making you feel like an imposter:

• Remind yourself that if asking for help makes a task go faster, then asking for help makes you look super strategic, geniusy, and productive (not to mention incredible and good looking)

• Know that there is no extra credit for doing things the hard way (ahem — alone)

• Remember that asking for help and delegating tasks are leadership skills

5. The Superwoman/man

Superhumans are convinced that they’re phony balonies, surrounded by people who are the real deal. So they feel like they have to work twice as hard as everyone else to keep up. They tend to take on too much and then feel even more impostery when they can’t get everything done.

How to use your superhumaness

You’re not afraid to push yourself to hit your goals. And you’re really good at juggling multiple priorities and projects at the same time. People probably look at you all the time and think, “Damn. How do they do it all?”

To keep your superhuman tendencies from making you feel like a (burnt out) imposter:

• Remember — All those people around you aren’t getting it all done either

• Know that you got where you are with everything you currently have (experience, knowledge, accomplishments), you’re not “behind,” and you have nothing to prove

• Prioritize. Focus on tasks that actually matter. And don’t be afraid to say “no” when your plate is full

Imposter syndrome = Your growth zone

Let’s break something down real quick, cause I know some of y’all get these confused and confuddled:

• Readiness = A feeling that may or may not be the lizard part of your brain trying to keep you nice and safe in your comfort zone where you will be all stucky feeling like, “Same shit. Different day.” 

• Capability = Isn’t what you can do right now (like right, right now). It’s what you could do if you had the skills, resources, and abilities. I think of capability like a rubber band. How far can we stretch that sucker? 

• Ability = What you can do right now based on your skills, training, experience, and resources. Aka — Your competencies.

Now most of us make decisions based on our ABILITIES and how READY we feel. Which is all fine and dandy and comfy except for the part where you crave something more. In which case, you need to go and explore your capability.

And that’s going to bring up some major discomfort and imposter syndrome. Like a kid on the first day of middle school, you’ll be stepping into the unknown. You won’t know where the bathrooms are. You won’t know your locker combination. And you won’t know who to sit with in the cafeteria. 

It’s new and scary and awkward af. 

But if you stick with it and remember who you are, you’ll find your way.

A few years after my conference room existential crisis, I had a new crisis — Boredom. I was no longer the clueless new kid on the block. I knew how to do my job with my eyes closed. 

And that’s how I knew — It was time for a new challenge. It was time for courage. It was time to explore my capability, even though my abilities would need time to catch up. 

Imposter syndrome doesn’t have to be a problem. But it will probably be a part of your journey.

Keep going. 

Ps. If you’re ready to make some moves and take some big steps but you’re stuck in fear and self-doubt, I’m here to help.

Click here to learn about working with me. And let’s turn your self-doubt into success.

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Hi! I’m Erica

Licensed psychotherapist. Corporate dropout. Wife to Brendan. Mom to twins + one. ADHDer. Slow runner. Coffee drinker. Swear words enthusiast.

I know exactly what it’s like to have a life that looks successful on the outside but feel chronically exhausted, frustrated, and completely lost on the inside.

I help underachieving high-achievers create lives and careers they love, without burning out.

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