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Actual impostors don't get impostor syndrome

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Re: Actual impostors don't get impostor syndrome

#41

Post by [deleted] »

ARandomerDude wrote: post #35
nicolashahn wrote: post #2

Hmm. I don't usually get imposter syndrome. Wait, does that mean this is saying I am an imposter? Oh no, what if I am? But wait, wasn't that thought imposter syndrome? That means I'm not an imposter. Wait, now I'm back to not having imposter syndrome. Oh no.

Your comment is an example of a logical fallacy called "affirming the consequent." Borrowing from Wikipedia, a good example of affirming the consequent is: 1. If an animal is a dog, then it has four legs. 2. My cat has four legs. 3. Therefore, my cat is a dog. The problem is the conclusion is the result of a reversal of the conditional statement. Similarly, you've said, essentially, 1. If I am an imposter, then I wil…

[deleted]

Re: Actual impostors don't get impostor syndrome

#42

Post by akomtu »

Don't confuse bad impostors who sabotage important project with their incompetence, like architecting buildings or bridges without a proper engineering degree, and coasters who get easy money in oil or ads industries. I'm totally fine with the latter category. I'd even argue that they are a net good for society because otherwise their salaries would just end up in the Bezos' pocket.

Re: Actual impostors don't get impostor syndrome

#43

Post by onemoresoop »

greesil wrote: post #39
ARandomerDude wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your comment is an example of a logical fallacy called "affirming the consequent." Borrowing from Wikipedia, a good example of affirming the consequent is: 1. If an animal is a dog, then it has four legs. 2. My cat has four legs. 3. Therefore, my cat is a dog. The problem is the conclusion is the result of a reversal of the conditional statement. Similarly, you've said, essentially, 1. If I am an imposter, then I wil…

Watch out for zebra crossings.

Or Zebras crossing

Re: Actual impostors don't get impostor syndrome

#44

Post by xpe »

throw149102 wrote: post #37

There are people who are impostors who don't get impostor syndrome, impostors who do get impostor syndrome, non-impostors who get impostor syndrome, and non-impostors who don't get impostor syndrome. The first category is often full of narcissists, who think they know more despite evidence, or literal cons like described in the post. The second category is people who are unfortunately correct about their situation, b…

Some constructive criticism: this comment was useful and on-topic up until this part...

> IMHO this is why we've ended up in a society where no one takes responsibility for their own lives.

I'm not going to comment on this sentence and the many lengthy paragraphs after it, because I find it to be a distraction from the core theme and purpose of this comment page.

throw149102 -- I'd like to see you discuss your thoughts somewhere where you can get good engagement. I don't think this thread is a very good place.

Re: Actual impostors don't get impostor syndrome

#45

Post by jrsj »

ARandomerDude wrote: post #35
nicolashahn wrote: post #2

Hmm. I don't usually get imposter syndrome. Wait, does that mean this is saying I am an imposter? Oh no, what if I am? But wait, wasn't that thought imposter syndrome? That means I'm not an imposter. Wait, now I'm back to not having imposter syndrome. Oh no.

Your comment is an example of a logical fallacy called "affirming the consequent." Borrowing from Wikipedia, a good example of affirming the consequent is: 1. If an animal is a dog, then it has four legs. 2. My cat has four legs. 3. Therefore, my cat is a dog. The problem is the conclusion is the result of a reversal of the conditional statement. Similarly, you've said, essentially, 1. If I am an imposter, then I wil…

There is a subtle difference though, in that imposter syndrome exists based on an individuals beliefs, which could be altered by reading about it regardless of whether or not that thought process is rational. So it could be reality created by a fallacy in a way.

That being said it was probably just a joke and now we’ve both overanalyzed it lol

Re: Actual impostors don't get impostor syndrome

#48

Post by SilasX »

travisjungroth wrote: post #27

I disagree with this article and most things I read about imposter syndrome. There's usually some good advice in there about self care. But, I think it ends up missing the mark because it leaves out half the story: It is healthy and normal to question if you're over-representing yourself. A constant feeling of "Am I as good as people think and I say?" is only imposter syndrome if the answer is yes . Otherwise, yeah,…

>I've spoken with and mentored many new software engineers. Some of them tell me they're struggling with imposter syndrome. Do I tell them they're wrong and they shouldn't feel that way, baselessly invalidating their beliefs? No! I look for evidence that they can write code. Some live coding, a project that's not a copy-pasted tutorial, just something.

Soooo much this. The right response to "I feel like an impostor" should always be, "okay let's run over some heuristics to see if that doubt is justified". Some people actually are impostors, while some are just mis-judging themselves.

Reflexively dismissing all doubt as impostor syndrome is how you create the Elizabeth Holmeses of the world. Earlier comments on the point: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19214306

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