Clinical mental health generally follows the medical model of symptoms as observable fact, syndromes as clusters of observable facts, and disorders in the realm of mental health and disease in the realm of medicine being the set of conclusive diganoses.
The distinctive symptom of impostor syndrome is success. It is hard to see how it reconciles with the medical model while avoiding Occam's razor.
None of which is to suggest that anyone's experiences are illegitimate or their concerns are any less real. My concern is that pop-psychology self-diagnosis may increase the odds that a more serious issue goes without clinical treatment. The acceptability of having impostor syndrome is the flip side to the stigma attached to receiving treatment from a mental health professional.
Please don't use inflammatory language like pop-psychology self-diagnosis and frantic race around what you admit are contentious topics. It doesn't serve civil and constructive discussion or your point, regardless of the topic.
Clinical mental health generally follows the medical model of symptoms as observable fact, syndromes as clusters of observable facts, and disorders in the realm of mental health and disease in the realm of medicine being the set of conclusive diganoses.
The distinctive symptom of impostor syndrome is success. It is hard to see how it reconciles with the medical model while avoiding Occam's razor.
None of which is to suggest that anyone's experiences are illegitimate or their concerns are any less real. My concern is that pop-psychology self-diagnosis may increase the odds that a more serious issue goes without clinical treatment. The acceptability of having impostor syndrome is the flip side to the stigma attached to receiving treatment from a mental health professional.