Clare Josa's work on the difference between Imposter Syndrome and self-doubt is a coaching model that helps us to understand why people can try techniques to overcome Imposter Syndrome, but they don't work.
Clare's work on this explains why mindset-level techniques only ease the surface-level symptoms of Imposter Syndrome, rather than clearing the deeper triggers, meaning that for 62% (from Clare's 2024 data) Imposter Syndrome is a daily struggle.
Being able to tell whether someone is struggling with Imposter Syndrome vs self-doubt - or both - helps you know which strategies will be most effective for them.
Read on to explore this model in detail.
Sharing Policy For The Difference Between Imposter Syndrome & Self-Doubt
Clare Josa is on a mission to free the world from Imposter Syndrome, so she encourages sharing the name and key aspects of the difference between Imposter Syndrome and self-doubt, to help others. Please follow these guidelines:
- Attribution: When sharing, credit "Clare Josa, author of Ditching Imposter Syndrome" and link back to this page, with the clickable text: The Difference Between Imposter Syndrome and Self-Doubt
- Restrictions: Content may be used for personal or non-commercial purposes only, unless otherwise agreed and licensed. Sharing in free-to-view public articles, podcasts, videos, and social media posts is permitted, with proper attribution, but not in marketing materials, lead magnets, or paid programmes.
Thank you for wanting to make a positive difference in the world, whilst also respecting Clare Josa's intellectual property rights.
The Difference Between Imposter Syndrome & Self-Doubt
One of the biggest mistakes out there about Imposter Syndrome is that it's just self-doubt in a spiky suit - something everyone experiences, and just a normal part of daily life that we need to get over.
But our 2019 Imposter Syndrome research study showed this isn't the case.
There are clear differences between Imposter Syndrome and self-doubt, and you can tell which one a person is experiencing by decoding their self-talk. The phrases they use are different for each of them.
But before we explore what those differences between Imposter Syndrome and self-doubt are, why is it so important to be able to spot which one someone's running?
... because the tools that coaches have been using for decades to handle self-doubt don't work well for Imposter Syndrome. But the clients then beat themselves up about it, instead of looking for strategies that are specially designed for Imposter Syndrome.
Clare Josa's research found that:
the difference between imposter syndrome & self-doubt?
Self-doubt is about what we can or can't do;
Imposter Syndrome is about who we think we are.
Clare Josa
As Clare explores in her Imposter Syndrome Iceberg model, it's not about our skills and capabilities; it's about our sense of identity. In her Imposter Syndrome Bridge of Coping Strategies model, she talks about the Imposter Syndrome Gap - the gap between who we see ourselves as being, and who we think we need to be, to do or achieve something.
When you research self-talk, the differences between Imposter Syndrome and self-doubt become clear.
Self-doubt / lack of confidence
This is a normal part of stretching comfort zones, learning, and growing:
"I can't do x / y."
"I don't have enough experience."
"I don't know how to get this done."
Imposter Syndrome
This is an out-of-balance internal referencing system and sense of identity that needs clearing:
"Who am I to do that?"
"What if they find me out?"
"What if they realise I'm a fraud?"
The 'identity-level' statements for Imposter Syndrome are clear. And that's a depth that classic mindset coaching isn't designed to work at.
But the surface-level symptoms of Imposter Syndrome mimic those of self-doubt, and that's why so much training and coaching focuses on these.
This video explains why that's a problem, and how it causes you to fall into the 'dandelion trap', where you clear one symptom, only for another to pop up.
So, whilst easing symptoms is an important part of the journey, using mindset-based tools to do this instead of doing the deeper work to clear Imposter Syndrome (obviously with the proper training) is one of the key reasons why so many people think Imposter Syndrome is incurable.
It isn't. It's just that too many people get stuck using self-doubt tools for an identity-level issue and blame themselves when it doesn't work.
There's another layer to this, which goes beyond the coaching industry into mind-based therapeutic interventions, including CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy).
Mindset work assumes the thinking mind is running the show, but it isn't.
It's the nervous system.
This video explains how coaching and many branches of modern therapy have got stuck in something called 'Cartesian Dualism' - from the philosopher Descartes, back in the 17th century.
He believed that the mind and body are separate, and modern medicine still, in many disciplines, considers this to be the case, despite the overwhelming research to the contrary.
This video explores how this can keep clients stuck, and it's particularly important with Imposter Syndrome, where the identity-level fear of being 'found out' as not good enough gets hard-wired into the nervous system. It's a mind-story fear, as explored in Clare's coaching model on the two types of fear.
So by the time a client consciously realises they're thinking an Imposter Syndrome thought and tries to apply whichever thought-based technique they've been taught, the nervous system has already triggered the fight-flight-freeze response and its cascade of self-sabotage coping strategies.
Being able to tell the difference between Imposter Syndrome and self-doubt empowers coaches and clients to use the techniques that clear and prevent this subconscious response.
Prefer to listen? Here's a podcast episode from Clare Josa on the difference between Imposter Syndrome and self-doubt
Can You Have Both?
Absolutely! You can experience Imposter Syndrome with self-doubt, or either on their own.
They're like a two-circle Venn diagramme.
I've worked with plenty of clients who were confident in their abilities, skills, experience, and networks, but crippled by Imposter Syndrome.
And I've met lots of people who struggle with doubting their abilities, but don't have that 'Imposter Syndrome Gap' between who they see themselves as being and who they think they need to be.
Training and classic coaching are great for improving skills and performance confidence, but Imposter Syndrome stays, even with the new skills - and that needs a different approach.
clare josa
It's One Of The Most Common Question Clare Josa Gets Asked In Interviews:
Here's a video that talks you through the difference between Imposter Syndrome and self-doubt - one of the most common questions I get asked in interviews. Remember:
Self-doubt is about what you can and can't do; Imposter Syndrome is about who you think you are.
Want To Dive In With Solutions?
Here are some of the ways Clare Josa could help you to tackle Imposter Syndrome, including understanding the difference between it and self-doubt.
ditching imposter syndrome book
Section one of the book is great for this. It guides you through what you most need to know, before you tackle Imposter Syndrome, even ditching the myths that hold people back.
Available in hardback, paperback, Kindle, and audiobook formats.
The imposter syndrome hacks™ app
Everything in the Imposter Syndrome Hacks™ app works for self-doubt, as well as Imposter Syndrome. So how about diving in today?
It also has hacks for taming your inner critic, turning it into a genuine cheerleader, and waving goodbye to Imposter Syndrome, once and for all.
coaching imposter syndrome book
Written for managers, leaders, HR professionals, coaches and consultants, Clare Josa's 2025 book - Coaching Imposter Syndrome - guides you through on a practical level how to spot whether a team member is running self-doubt or Imposter Syndrome, and how to approach the conversation.
Want to share strategies with colleagues & clients?
Clare Josa teaches deep-acting strategies for spotting the difference between Imposter Syndrome and self-doubt, and then the tools needed for the identity-level work, in her coach certification programmes. She covers what teams most need to know about this in her keynotes and corporate workshops. Scroll down to find out about working with Clare.
Don't Know Clare Josa Yet?
Clare is considered a global authority in the fields of Imposter Syndrome, burnout and sustainable performance for individuals and teams. She has been an international keynote speaker for over 20 years.
Her research is cited in PhDs and taught on MBAs, worldwide, and she is the creator of the life-changing Safe to THRIVE™ and Natural Resilience Method® frameworks, which she teaches at Facilitator and Master Coach levels, as well as in the world's first Imposter Syndrome App - Imposter Syndrome Hacks™.
The author of ten books, a reformed engineer, and the former Head of Market Research for one of the world's most disruptive brands, she blends science-backed practical inspiration with demystified ancient wisdom, to help you create breakthroughs in ways that are fast, fun and forever.