They're going to find out I don't have any talent Video

"I still believe that at any time the no-talent police will come and arrest me." That's a quote by actor, writer, producer, musician Mike Myers.

"When I first started I didn't think I deserved [fan acclaim] -- which is why I did things like refuse awards. I felt then that anybody who loved me must be mental and was not to be trusted." Sinead O'Connor

Nicole Kidman says she always thinks producers are "going to look at me to fire me." She told Oprah, My agents laugh at me because I always call up and quit the movie the week before. Meryl Streep said in the same interview, Oh, me too.

Here is a quiz from the site of the Overcoming the Impostor Syndrome program. See the video description for the link.

For people who suffer these Impostor Syndrome feelings, it isn't just a passing lack of confidence, but chronic self-doubt, regardless of their accomplishments.

Jodie Foster admitted that when she finished "The Accused," "I thought I had done a really bad job. It was so over the top. I thought it was going to be the end of me, so I started getting ready to go back to graduate school." She won an Academy Award as Best Actress in 1989 for her acting.

Like many other talented but self-critical actors, Don Cheadle says, "All I can see is everything I'm doing wrong that is a sham and a fraud. I look at [my performances in movies] like, "Ugh, Don, you missed that. You weren't there in that moment. You liar!"

That also sounds like perfectionistic thinking, which can help fuel impostor feelings.

So what can we do about it?

Here is an excerpt from a podcast by psychologist Howard Gurr on helping his clients deal with The Fraud Concept.

Dr. Valerie Young has had years of personal experience researching and dealing with impostor feelings. She provides workshops and a CD program through her site Overcoming the Impostor Syndrome.

Resources:

Podcast by psychologist Howard Gurr on The Fraud Concept
http://drgurr.podOmatic.com/entry/2009-05-25T17_36_45-07_00

Overcoming the Impostor Syndrome - a step-by-step process designed to give insight into self-limiting beliefs and behaviors, and how to change.
http://www.changingcourse.com/cmd.php?Clk=3179930

Articles :

10 Steps to Overcome the Impostor Syndrome, By Dr. Valerie Young
http://talentdevelop.com/articles/10STOTIS.html

Impostor syndrome quotes
http://talentdevelop.com/impostor.html

Impostor syndrome articles books
http://talentdevelop.com/impostor2.html