Doing some research, it sounds like imposters syndrome is totally present among mountain climbers. Unless you’ve conquered Everest, there’s always some taller or more dangerous mountain that someone else has done.
See, for instance, this article about a climber feeling imposters syndrome after climbing a difficult cliff, because “I felt like it must not be as hard as people said it was because I was able to do it.” It also quotes a psychologist who works with athletes as saying “Imposter syndrome is very common, very pervasive, … It’s most common among high achievers. It’s also prevalent in individual sports like cycling, running, swimming, and—you guessed it—climbing.”
There are many other articles on the internet about people who are achieving huge climbing goals but still feeling imposters syndrome. Based on many of those, it seems to me like imposters syndrome is connected to the culture around an activity more than the actual content of the activity.
I’ve always wondered if part of the reason impostor syndrome is so common among high achievers might be because imposter syndrome helps people become high achievers. If you never think you’re good enough, you will never be satisfied and will always keep striving to do better. And that’s what it really takes to be the best.
Doing some research, it sounds like imposters syndrome is totally present among mountain climbers. Unless you’ve conquered Everest, there’s always some taller or more dangerous mountain that someone else has done.
See, for instance, this article about a climber feeling imposters syndrome after climbing a difficult cliff, because “I felt like it must not be as hard as people said it was because I was able to do it.” It also quotes a psychologist who works with athletes as saying “Imposter syndrome is very common, very pervasive, … It’s most common among high achievers. It’s also prevalent in individual sports like cycling, running, swimming, and—you guessed it—climbing.”
https://www.climbing.com/news/if-climbing-defines-your-self-worth-you-could-have-a-psychological-condition-known-as-imposter-syndrome/
There are many other articles on the internet about people who are achieving huge climbing goals but still feeling imposters syndrome. Based on many of those, it seems to me like imposters syndrome is connected to the culture around an activity more than the actual content of the activity.
I’ve always wondered if part of the reason impostor syndrome is so common among high achievers might be because imposter syndrome helps people become high achievers. If you never think you’re good enough, you will never be satisfied and will always keep striving to do better. And that’s what it really takes to be the best.