If I'm So Successful, Why Do I Feel Like a Fake?: The Impostor Phenomenon

A Ph.D. psychologist writes about high achievers' unwarranted fears of being discovered as less than they appear to be. Fascinating case studies are intertwined with rigorous research findings. An easy to understand explanation of how a fear can be a wish in disguise. Some accomplished and gifted people consciously suffer from a painful fear of failure ; but lurking in the unconscious lies an even more intolerable dread of penalties for success. For one woman, it was safer to worry constantly about failing and ending up as a bag lady than to lose family love by surpassing her so-called "genius" brother. Great interviews with high-achieving people from a wide variety of careers.