Sanity check: have you done something you got praised for and later thought you weren't worth that praise? That is the core of impostor syndrome, if you haven't experienced it then you don't have impostor syndrome. When a brilliant person has impostor syndrome its because others thinks the brilliant person is brilliant, but the brilliant person doesn't see himself as brilliant. But if you fail the first step meaning others don't see you as brilliant, then you can't have impostor syndrome since the syndrome means you don't think you deserve the praise you are getting.
Praise is such an ingrained part of our culture, I feel like my generation has been praised throughout our lives for every little, entirely normal thing we do. It takes so very little. It feels hollow and fake, social norm that is followed.
I cannot construe praise to be anything beyond "affirmative, the task was done and there was nothing so wrong with it that it needs mention".
I don't like to receive "high praise" it feels patronizing at the very least.
We sit in nice offices, sipping coffee and play with computers..
Do I really have [XYZ]? Or am I simply trying to rationalise something to myself?
Except, of course I am not, and of course I'm not explicitly thinking that way, but I do think that my brain unconsciously makes that connection on some level, irrational as it may be.
It's such an alluring thought, that maybe I'm not incompetent, maybe I'm just having this "syndrome" that so many other bright people have too... A lot easier to accept than the truth.
This whole thread is brilliant - I really admire the one or two people that tried to summarise/translate sections. That said, I find something weird about people that write about imposter syndrome.
Something similar to imposter syndrome is normal for anyone who is highly skilled:
* To be highly skilled you are continuously improving you skills, by fixing the flaws in your work and fixing your own flaws, from the large to the small.
* To successfully fix flaws, you need to be able to recognise the flaws, in finer and finer detail, as you become more and more skilled. The irony is that while external parties can genuinely admire your work, you yourself can only see more and more that is wrong with your work.
* If you can’t see flaws, you don’t fix the flaws, and you don’t progress.
There is a gorgeous section of one interview with Jim Keller (a legendary/genius chip designer) where he talks about how he knew how deeply flawed his work is. He is really inspiring because he he is so insightful about his thought processes, and there is no entangled bullshit like the article we are commenting on. I also love this quote of his: "Imagine 99% of your thought process is protecting your self-conception, and 98% of that is wrong.". Quote is at @1:23:00 of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb2tebYAaOA
Now, on imposter syndrome, I've often thought of myself as having this, but, the comfort that thought gives me makes me wonder if I'm not just seeking validation and trying to put myself up there with those brilliant people who supposedly had it too..