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The Impostor Syndrome: Developmental and Societal Issues

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Psychoanalysis and Management

Part of the book series: Contributions to Management Science ((MANAGEMENT SC.))

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Abstract

Throughout history, impostors have fascinated the public at large. People leading fraudulent lives or engaging in fraudulent action always seem to have had a fatal attraction. One reason for this popularity may be that there is an element of recognition present in the encounter of impostors and their audiences. It often seems as if the impostors show us something about ourselves which we may prefer not to see under normal circumstances. And to some extent (given the differences between the public and private self), we are all impostors, we all play roles (Goffman, 1971). Presenting a facade and misleading the audience is part and parcel of everyday life. However, this does not explain the ease with which impostors can make fools of the audience in situations of true imposture. It often seems as if the audience is all too willing to be victimized.

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Authors
  1. Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Augasse 2-6, A-1090, Wien, Austria

    Michael Hofmann  & Monika List  & 

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© 1994 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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de Vries, M.F.R.K. (1994). The Impostor Syndrome: Developmental and Societal Issues. In: Hofmann, M., List, M. (eds) Psychoanalysis and Management. Contributions to Management Science. Physica, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-12847-3_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-12847-3_10

  • Publisher Name: Physica, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-7908-0795-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-12847-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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