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Самозванец. Психотерапевтические методики для тех, кто желает избавиться от низкой самооценки, чувства страха и вины
A self-help book for those who cannot enjoy success because they feel that they have gotten ahead because of reasons other than their own abilities
First published January 1, 1985
83 people are currently reading
499 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 25, 2018
Заглавието подвежда. Препоръчвам тази книга на онези, които са изкушени от изследванията на властта. Според мнението на автора, която е психотерапевт, 7 от всеки 10 успели хора се оказват жертви на т.нар. "феномен на самозванеца" (impostor phenomenon). Те смятат, че успехите им се дължат на случайност, на късмет или са резултат от помощта на други влиятелни хора, но не и на техните таланти, способности и усилия. В собствените им очи успехът им е незаслужен. Те всячески се стремят да заслужат одобрението на другите и да направят така, че да не бъдат "разкрити" в ролята им на "самозванци". Книгата се чете лесно и изобилства от примери за реални ситуации от живота на лекари, учени, инженери, адвокати. Та това ми дава основание да си задавам въпроса - ако все пак Паулин Роуз Кланс е права в преценката си, как ли този "феномен на самозванеца" се отразява върху процеса на вземане на политичеки решения от хората, овластени с легитимното право да го правят вместо нас? Иначе съм сигурен, че всеки може да намери нещо за себе си в тази книга. Аз намерих.
March 8, 2022
Everyone needs to read this book, since it is my belief that the vast majority of people possess impostor syndrome to varying degrees or at least have people around them that do.
It would take me hours to write down all the amazing points that Dr Clance makes, so just do yourself and everyone around you a favor and read this (mostly for yourself).
This is one of my psychological bibles now. Thanks Dr Clance for writing such an incredibly clear and immensely helpful book.
It would take me hours to write down all the amazing points that Dr Clance makes, so just do yourself and everyone around you a favor and read this (mostly for yourself).
This is one of my psychological bibles now. Thanks Dr Clance for writing such an incredibly clear and immensely helpful book.
March 8, 2021
This book has seriously changed my life in a week! It’s like sitting down on the couch with a therapist, unraveling all the lies you believe about yourself and stepping out on the other side ready to be free to be who God made you to be. Highly recommend for every high-capacity, high performing leader. Especially women!
October 29, 2011
Reading for Beyond Fear but just what I needed to hear myself! Another layer of the onion peeled back.
...
It's really amazing how much of my angst and self-doubt is explained by this book. The idea is that, despite all of your achievements and successes, you believe you're not really all that smart or competent, your successes were flukes, and any minute someone could discover that you're really not nearly as smart as everyone things. It's not a put-on or false modesty, you really don't believe the objective evidence that you're a success, and you always worry you won't be able to perform/achieve when you need to. Every time you face a challenge, you're terrified you'll fail and be a laughingstock, even though you've aced many similar experiences.
Some characteristics:
- the need to be special/the best (and feeling like a failure if you're not)
- perfectionism
- avoiding the possibility of looking foolish at all costs
- aversion to success because it will mean people will expect even more of you
- discounting/disbelieving praise (oh, it's just because I was in the right place at the right time OR I'm just good at taking tests OR anybody could have done the same)
- working way harder than necessary to assure that all of your work is the best it can possibly be, even in areas where it really doesn't matter
- thinking you should be able to do everything yourself (and besides, others wouldn't do it up to your standards even if you let them pitch in)
Some people need to deny their success because they have bad associations with success--they can't do better than their father or husband because that would be a threat, or rich people are bad. Another factor that's not mentioned in this book is religion. If you grow up hearing "blessed are the meek," and "blessed are the poor in spirit," and "pride goeth before the fall," accepting praise seems like asking for trouble. After all, all the glory is supposed to go to God, right? So how can I consider myself as having earned my successes and take credit for them?
For me, the most powerful parts of this book were recognizing myself in these patterns, and comparing my fears with my track record. I never thought of myself as very capable, and every new step I've taken toward starting my business has been drenched in fear of failure, but if you look at how my life has gone so far, actually, it's kind of ridiculously successful. There's very little I've tried that hasn't gone how I hoped, and even those things have proven themselves to be foundational to later successes. Realizing this has given me a lot more confidence. I'm sure I'll still be afraid as I try new things, but the odds sure seem a lot better when you include the good evidence/track record, not just the few disasters.
Note: if you feel guilty about succeeding, find something to do that will help others. Feeling guilty helps nobody.
...
It's really amazing how much of my angst and self-doubt is explained by this book. The idea is that, despite all of your achievements and successes, you believe you're not really all that smart or competent, your successes were flukes, and any minute someone could discover that you're really not nearly as smart as everyone things. It's not a put-on or false modesty, you really don't believe the objective evidence that you're a success, and you always worry you won't be able to perform/achieve when you need to. Every time you face a challenge, you're terrified you'll fail and be a laughingstock, even though you've aced many similar experiences.
Some characteristics:
- the need to be special/the best (and feeling like a failure if you're not)
- perfectionism
- avoiding the possibility of looking foolish at all costs
- aversion to success because it will mean people will expect even more of you
- discounting/disbelieving praise (oh, it's just because I was in the right place at the right time OR I'm just good at taking tests OR anybody could have done the same)
- working way harder than necessary to assure that all of your work is the best it can possibly be, even in areas where it really doesn't matter
- thinking you should be able to do everything yourself (and besides, others wouldn't do it up to your standards even if you let them pitch in)
Some people need to deny their success because they have bad associations with success--they can't do better than their father or husband because that would be a threat, or rich people are bad. Another factor that's not mentioned in this book is religion. If you grow up hearing "blessed are the meek," and "blessed are the poor in spirit," and "pride goeth before the fall," accepting praise seems like asking for trouble. After all, all the glory is supposed to go to God, right? So how can I consider myself as having earned my successes and take credit for them?
For me, the most powerful parts of this book were recognizing myself in these patterns, and comparing my fears with my track record. I never thought of myself as very capable, and every new step I've taken toward starting my business has been drenched in fear of failure, but if you look at how my life has gone so far, actually, it's kind of ridiculously successful. There's very little I've tried that hasn't gone how I hoped, and even those things have proven themselves to be foundational to later successes. Realizing this has given me a lot more confidence. I'm sure I'll still be afraid as I try new things, but the odds sure seem a lot better when you include the good evidence/track record, not just the few disasters.
Note: if you feel guilty about succeeding, find something to do that will help others. Feeling guilty helps nobody.
November 6, 2017
I heard about the Imposter Phenomenon a few years ago. It's the concept that you don't deserve the success you've achieved. Many of us are bad at taking compliments, but it's also the fear of being "found out" (imagine you've been diligent in doing a degree, but somehow feel that you're a fraud). Likewise, when I bought my first and only house, I wandered around thinking "I don't deserve this". It's been incredibly useful to read about different examples of IP - many people will suffer from more than one example. The book also gives examples of HOW this behaviour may have been learned, as well as strategies on how to break the habit.
February 18, 2023
Great Read for Those Who are Unfamiliar with IP
This is an easy read for people who do not know wht impostor phenomena is. It really helped me to understand IP and how to address it in my life and with my children.
This is an easy read for people who do not know wht impostor phenomena is. It really helped me to understand IP and how to address it in my life and with my children.
January 9, 2025
The book does not dive into how to overcome the impostor phenomenon, and the writing does get sort of repetitive. That quite removes a lot of appeal for the book honestly. But it does have a lot of examples, which is useful because:
1. it makes it easy to identify and empathize with instances of impostor phenomenon. For instance, I did not even realize that sometimes I felt like an impostor in social settings. The way that the book brought it out was not through asking me to think deeply about some questions, like a therapy session might. Instead, a few examples discussed the situation in which these impostor feelings came up for the subjects and elaborated on what emotions + thought processes were prevalent during those anxious moments.
2. it gives a sense of what an appropriate response should be for both the sufferer and well-wishers when impostor-ism strikes (I made that word up). These are simple but effective tools to use. So even though I did not learn how to overcome impostorism, I learnt tools on how to manage it, at least in the moment.
I liked the tone of the book as well. It's not written like a self-help book, in which the narrative is directed towards you and infused with so much positivity that it seems unreal and fake. No, it's more like "Susan did this ..." and "Adam did that ...". That makes it a bit impersonal in a way, which makes it easy to empathize with examples which make sense to you, and more importantly, pick the actions/tools which seem the best for you. In contrast, when it's a "you" narrative, there's so many things to keep track of that sometimes fogs the best course of action.
Surprisingly, but not so much in hindsight, the book also talks about child rearing, specifically pointing out well-intentioned common-place actions that parents do which can cause feelings of impostor phenomenon to develop over time. It relates to the way we praise children, the way we help them confront fears and so on: very insightful and practical in my opinion.
The book also has a lot of references (both for the layman and the scientist) to look up once you're done with the book. This includes a reference on the intersection of impostor phenomenon and child rearing.
And as a last point, the book also have a test for gauging how much intense impostorism is for you. I scored between 61 and 80, which means I frequently have impostor feelings. On the mark, I would say.
My advice on how to read this book would be: read Part 1. Read Part 2 only as much as you want to - there's nothing insightful in it so pick and choose whichever ones make sense to you. Or read the whole thing with speed, if you're unsure. Read Part 3.
1. it makes it easy to identify and empathize with instances of impostor phenomenon. For instance, I did not even realize that sometimes I felt like an impostor in social settings. The way that the book brought it out was not through asking me to think deeply about some questions, like a therapy session might. Instead, a few examples discussed the situation in which these impostor feelings came up for the subjects and elaborated on what emotions + thought processes were prevalent during those anxious moments.
2. it gives a sense of what an appropriate response should be for both the sufferer and well-wishers when impostor-ism strikes (I made that word up). These are simple but effective tools to use. So even though I did not learn how to overcome impostorism, I learnt tools on how to manage it, at least in the moment.
I liked the tone of the book as well. It's not written like a self-help book, in which the narrative is directed towards you and infused with so much positivity that it seems unreal and fake. No, it's more like "Susan did this ..." and "Adam did that ...". That makes it a bit impersonal in a way, which makes it easy to empathize with examples which make sense to you, and more importantly, pick the actions/tools which seem the best for you. In contrast, when it's a "you" narrative, there's so many things to keep track of that sometimes fogs the best course of action.
Surprisingly, but not so much in hindsight, the book also talks about child rearing, specifically pointing out well-intentioned common-place actions that parents do which can cause feelings of impostor phenomenon to develop over time. It relates to the way we praise children, the way we help them confront fears and so on: very insightful and practical in my opinion.
The book also has a lot of references (both for the layman and the scientist) to look up once you're done with the book. This includes a reference on the intersection of impostor phenomenon and child rearing.
And as a last point, the book also have a test for gauging how much intense impostorism is for you. I scored between 61 and 80, which means I frequently have impostor feelings. On the mark, I would say.
My advice on how to read this book would be: read Part 1. Read Part 2 only as much as you want to - there's nothing insightful in it so pick and choose whichever ones make sense to you. Or read the whole thing with speed, if you're unsure. Read Part 3.
Want to read
May 8, 2025★ “[Pauline R. Clance] and [Suzanne A. Imes]’s initial concept of ‘imposter phenomenon’ has mutated, especially since it gained a foothold across social media platforms. Today it’s usually referred to as ‘
imposter syndrome
,’ even though it
doesn’t actually meet the criteria for a syndrome
. Pauline doesn’t love this twist on their original concept, and has since explained she and Suzanne meant to normalize ‘imposter phenomenon’ as an experience, not to pathologize it. But it seems that the term ‘imposter syndrome’ isn’t going anywhere.
Since its publication, Pauline and Suzanne’s study has also faced plenty of criticism, especially from women of color who noticed that most of the women originally interviewed for the paper were white. In 2021, Ruchika Tulshian and Jodi Ann Burry published a now-famous rebuttal in Harvard Business Review. They argued that labeling women with ‘imposter syndrome’ can obscure the systemic obstacles standing in the way of their success, like racism, classism, and xenophobia.
Pauline and Suzanne have generally been open to these types of critiques. In the decades after her research first gained popularity, Pauline operated a private psychology practice based in Atlanta, Georgia. She of course specialized in helping clients identify and work through their experiences with ‘imposter phenomenon.’”
— From Womanica : Word Weavers: Pauline Rose Clance, May 8, 2025
➵ Apple Podcasts Link
➵ iHeart Link
➵ Spotify Link
Since its publication, Pauline and Suzanne’s study has also faced plenty of criticism, especially from women of color who noticed that most of the women originally interviewed for the paper were white. In 2021, Ruchika Tulshian and Jodi Ann Burry published a now-famous rebuttal in Harvard Business Review. They argued that labeling women with ‘imposter syndrome’ can obscure the systemic obstacles standing in the way of their success, like racism, classism, and xenophobia.
Pauline and Suzanne have generally been open to these types of critiques. In the decades after her research first gained popularity, Pauline operated a private psychology practice based in Atlanta, Georgia. She of course specialized in helping clients identify and work through their experiences with ‘imposter phenomenon.’”
— From Womanica : Word Weavers: Pauline Rose Clance, May 8, 2025
➵ Apple Podcasts Link
➵ iHeart Link
➵ Spotify Link
April 21, 2022
Читала і впізнавала себе!
Авторка дала чудові поради як спілкуватись з самозванцями, як виховувати дітей, щоб ті не виросли самозванцями. Читається дуже легко.
Авторка дала чудові поради як спілкуватись з самозванцями, як виховувати дітей, щоб ті не виросли самозванцями. Читається дуже легко.
June 25, 2025
I never realized how bad I suffered from IP and how much it was affecting me.
March 25, 2011
The book presents Dr.Pauline Rose Clance's writings about people who suffer from 'Impostor Phenomenon'. Impostor Phenomenon refers to people who believe they are pretending to be something they are not. They have a really hard time in accepting success, compliments and anything good. Their belief is all the success and good things are a result of coincidence and not due to their own skills and capabilities. At a surface level, it might sound like this is excessive humbleness, but at the core is a very different situation. These people in reality do not have faith or belief in their capabilities.
The book offers various insights about the reason for people developing this phenomenon ranging from family background to work pressure. But the end result is still the same, i.e. frustration, sadness, hopelessness and anxiety for both the victim and people related to the victim. The book offers background into the problem, its symptoms and how to help victims suffering from this issue. I got attracted towards the book after reading an article in Scientific American Mind about Impostor Phenomenon. Its an insightful book which presents plenty of case studies explaining the problem with some solutions for helping the victims.
The book offers various insights about the reason for people developing this phenomenon ranging from family background to work pressure. But the end result is still the same, i.e. frustration, sadness, hopelessness and anxiety for both the victim and people related to the victim. The book offers background into the problem, its symptoms and how to help victims suffering from this issue. I got attracted towards the book after reading an article in Scientific American Mind about Impostor Phenomenon. Its an insightful book which presents plenty of case studies explaining the problem with some solutions for helping the victims.
January 29, 2017
A good overview of this complex problem. The author uses many stories to illustrate the various traits of someone with Imposter Syndrome.
July 4, 2021
Fantastic, pragmatic and helpful book.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews