I find this article horrible UX Collective, already sentencing "You have imposter syndrome because you're an imposter" it is so simple, banal and superficial that the mere fact that it is written by is published within the frame of "UX Design" that instead should go beyond the surface and between the lines, makes my skin crawl.

Concluding by saying: "Imposter syndrome means you have more to learn. Don’t run from it. Don’t hide it. Don’t look for mental exercises to assuage it. Embrace it. It’s a roadmap to deeper knowledge. It’s a path to expertise. If you feel insecure, practice and study until you’re secure."

It's very close to those sentences of people that commenting on depression illness say: "You are depressed because you are not happy, go out and have fan"

Some facts about it:

"Personality traits largely drive imposter syndrome. Those who experience it struggle with self-efficacy, perfectionism, and neuroticism. Competitive environments can also lay the groundwork. For example, many people who go on to develop feelings of impostorism faced intense pressure about academic achievement from their parents in childhood." -PsychologyToday

The people who suffer from it appear in fact as unable to internalize certain skills or abilities and the successes obtained. These beliefs are impermeable to evidence to the contrary due to the presence of cognitive distortions that cause a constant minimization in the perception of the sense of personal competence and value.

Hence, it is unclear how study more or learn more would tackle the problem.

There is a common tendency to attribute the successes achieved, albeit repeated and notable, to external factors. Typically, luck, or the fact that other people overestimate the person's abilities, are among these factors.

The "impostor syndrome" is typically associated with low levels of self-esteem and feelings of low personal value and inadequacy. Its name derives from a central element: the more or less generalized feeling of deceiving others.

So not from a real lack of knowledge!

Because of this phenomenon, people who suffer from it are constantly afraid of being "unmasked" in their true nature and, thus, of being able to lose at any moment everything they have gained or built in terms of personal success.

Finally, due to the fear of exposure, the person could get to act numerous avoidances (for example, of specific tasks or work challenges). Over time, these could lead it to build an existence below its means, with the sole purpose of preserving itself from the risk of unmasking.

Generally, personal standards are excessive and self-criticism, when these are not properly pursued, is ferocious.

Errors, even small ones, generate severe and unappealable blame and the consequences have the connotation of catastrophe.

Common is the presence of high levels of anxiety, fear and anguish (both associated with specific and generalized performances) and frustration, up to the point of developing real depressive symptoms.

Although the syndrome does not correspond to any real diagnostic classification in psychiatry, the aforementioned characteristics can generate great suffering. A good psychotherapeutic intervention is therefore recommended, with a cognitive behavioral orientation, which can lead to a change in a relatively short time.

Clance, P. R., & Imes, S. A (1978). The imposter phenomenon in high achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 15 (3), 241-247.

McElwee, R. O., & Yurak, T. J. (2010). Phenomenology of the Impostor Phenomenon. Individual Differences Research, 8 (3), 184-197.