Perfectionism and imposter syndrome often go hand-in-hand. It makes perfect sense seeing that perfectionists set excessively high goals for themselves, and when they fail to reach one, they experience major self-doubt and worry about measuring up to the standards. Whether they realize it or not, this particular group can also exhibit control freak manifestations, usually feeling like if they want something done right, they have to do it themselves.

If you want to know if this subtype applies to you, ask yourself these questions:

• Have you ever been accused of being a micromanager?

• Do you have great difficulty delegating? Even when you’re able to do so, do you feel frustrated and disappointed in the results?

• When you miss the (insanely high) mark on something, do you accuse yourself of “not being cut out” for your job and ruminate on it for days?

• Do you feel like your work must be 100% perfect, 100% of the time?

For this type, success is rarely satisfying because they believe they could’ve done even better. But that’s neither productive nor healthy. Owning and celebrating achievements is essential if you want to avoid burnout, find contentment, and cultivate self-confidence.

Since people who experience this phenomenon are convinced they’re phonies amongst real-deal colleagues, they often push themselves to work harder and harder to measure up. This is just a false cover-up for their insecurities, and the work overload may harm not only their own mental health, but also their relationships with others.

If you want to know if this subtype applies to you, ask yourself these questions:

• Do you stay later at the office than the rest of your team, even past the point that you’ve completed that day’s necessary work?

• Have you left your hobbies and passions aside, sacrificing them to work?

• Do you feel like you haven’t truly earned your title (despite numerous degrees and achievements), so you feel pressed to work harder and longer than those around you to prove your worth?

Impostor workaholics are actually addicted to the validation that comes from working, not from work itself. Start training yourself to veer away from external validation. Learn to take constructive criticism seriously, not personally. Make a goal in learning more about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and auto-evaluate what fuels your motivation. 

As you become more attuned to internal validation and more able to nurture your inner confidence, you will be able to realistically assess just how much work is reasonable.

Young says people with this competence type believe they need to be a natural “genius.” Because of this belief, they judge their competence based ease and speed as opposed to their efforts. In other words, if they take a long time to master something, they feel shame and begin to think they are incompetent, despite the fact that they did eventually learned what was required.

These types of frauds set their internal bar impossibly high, just like perfectionists. But natural genius types don’t just judge themselves based on ridiculous expectations, they also judge themselves based on getting things right on the first try. When they’re not able to do something quickly or fluently, their alarm sounds.

If you want to know if this subtype applies to you, ask yourself these questions:

• Are you used to excelling without much effort?

• Do you have a track record of getting “straight A’s” in everything you do?

• Were you told frequently as a child that you were the “smart one” in your family or peer group?

• Do you dislike the idea of having a mentor, because you believe you can handle things on your own?

• When you’re faced with a setback, does your confidence tumble because not performing well provokes a feeling of shame?

• Do you often avoid challenges because it’s so uncomfortable to try something you’re not great at?

To move past this, try seeing yourself as a work in progress. Accomplishing great things involves lifelong learning and skill-building—for everyone, even the most confident people. Rather than beating yourself up when you don’t reach your impossibly high standards, identify specific, changeable behaviours that you can improve over time.

Sufferers who feel as though asking for help reveals their phoniness are what Dr. Valerie Young calls Soloists. It’s OK to be independent, but not to the extent that you refuse assistance so that you can prove your worth.

If you want to know if this subtype applies to you, ask yourself these questions:

• Do you firmly believe that you need to accomplish things on your own?

• “I don’t need anyone’s help.” Sounds familiar?

• Do you frame requests in terms of the requirements of the project, rather than your needs as a person?

Experts measure their competence based on “what” and “how much” they know or can do. Believing they will never know enough, they fear being exposed as inexperienced or unknowledgeable.

If you want to know if this subtype applies to you, ask yourself these questions:

• Do you shy away from applying to job postings unless you meet every single educational requirement?

• Are you constantly seeking out trainings or certifications because you think you need to improve your skills in order to succeed?

• Even if you’ve been in your role for some time, can you relate to feeling like you still don’t know “enough?”

• Do you shudder when someone says you’re an expert?

Try to practice just-in-time learning – acquiring a skill when you need it. For example, if your responsibilities change, try learning things step by step, rather than hoarding knowledge for (false) comfort.