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The Empress Has No Clothes

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The Empress Has No Clothes

Conquering Self-Doubt to Embrace Success

Berrett-Koehler,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

If you suffer self-doubt despite your achievements and feel like an “imposter,” here’s how to honor your own worth.

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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

As an African-American woman who grew up in poverty, Joyce Roché reports she suffered self-doubt all her life, no matter how much she achieved. She explains how she – and others – have grown past that barricade and how you can, too. Psychologists refer to this manifestation of a lack of self-worth as the “imposter syndrome”: the feeling that you are a fraud and will be exposed one day. Roché discusses the imposter syndrome, how it hurts and hinders, and what sufferers can do to move ahead and triumph. Many people suffer from others’ biases, and build their lives and their careers without ever feeling secure or worthy. This includes those who are often mistreated or disdained, including women, minorities and the poor. Roché discusses the imposter syndrome, how it hurts and hinders, and what sufferers can do to move ahead and triumph. She presents a brave, beautiful and important autobiography. getAbstract recommends her insights to all who suffer crippling self-doubt, as well as those who care about them or work with them.

Summary

“Imposter Syndrome”

Despite their accomplishments, people who suffer from imposter syndrome feel they are frauds and don’t deserve their success. This loss of confidence and its attendant fears damage and distort their self-image. People with imposter syndrome have much to offer and often do quite well, but their sense of self-worth doesn’t reflect their true value. People can overcome imposter syndrome, but while they are in its grip, they often can’t integrate their competencies and capabilities into their internal identity. They worry that, if they reveal themselves as they really are, others will not accept them. Their internal dialogue hammers them with such thoughts as, “You are not good enough” and “You don’t belong here.”

Do You Suffer Imposter Syndrome?

In 1978, psychotherapists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes defined imposter syndrome for the first time. They found that, “Despite outstanding academic and professional accomplishments, [those] who experience the impostor phenomenon persist in believing that they are really not bright and have fooled anyone who thinks otherwise” and that their achievements, even when they prove “superior intellectual...

About the Author

Throughout her career, Joyce M. Roché served as a trailblazer for women in business. Alexander Kopelman is a writer and social justice advocate. The IP test is available for free at paulineroseclance.com.

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