10 signs of giftedness
Pointers to understand why HIP might be considered.
See the 10 signs →Self-confidence · Giftedness
Impostor syndrome: when success never makes you feel you belong
You succeed, but feel it proves nothing. You attribute your successes to luck, circumstances or help from others. And you fear that one day someone will discover you are not as competent as you appear. This is the core of impostor syndrome.
Video in French. The article below is available in English.
What is impostor syndrome?
Impostor syndrome is a tendency to doubt your achievements and attribute your successes to external factors, such as luck, help from others or being in the right place at the right time. A person may have objectively succeeded yet continue to feel like a fraud, afraid of being “exposed” one day.
Why can it be particularly strong in some gifted people?
I often observe this pattern in gifted adults and gifted children. This may seem paradoxical. Yet when someone achieves certain things very easily, this can lead them to think those achievements “do not count”: if it was easy for me, it cannot be worth very much.
The role of perfectionism
The perfectionism easily sustains the problem. You notice what you cannot do more than what you already master. Meeting someone better in one area can then suddenly make your own talents seem inadequate.
Overcoming impostor syndrome also means valuing your talents again
Some talents were present so early, or became so natural, that they seem ordinary to the person who has them. They may even experience them as quirks rather than resources. The work then involves changing how they view their abilities, accepting their value and also accepting that they cannot excel at everything.
It is not a mental health condition
Impostor syndrome is not, in itself, a mental health condition. It is a very widespread experience that can nevertheless become painful when it persistently affects self-esteem, professional choices or the ability to enjoy success.
Impostor syndrome can obscure the possibility of giftedness
Someone convinced that they are “not really that intelligent” can dismiss the possibility of HIP for years. Screening is not intended to confirm what you want to hear, but to examine whether this possibility fits your overall functioning.
Frequently asked questions
Is impostor syndrome a diagnosis?
No. It is not, in itself, a mental health condition. It is a way of experiencing success and your sense of legitimacy that can nevertheless become very distressing.
Why can someone succeed yet continue to feel they do not belong?
Because success is not necessarily internalised as evidence of competence. It may be attributed to luck, circumstances or an ease that is considered “normal”.
Can HIP screening help?
It can be useful if the question of giftedness has persisted for a long time and you tend to dismiss it systematically. It offers an initial outside perspective before deciding whether an assessment is appropriate.
What if you really were underestimating some of your abilities?
If the question of giftedness keeps recurring in your life but you have always found good reasons to dismiss it, HIP screening can help you move beyond self-evaluation and obtain an initial structured outside perspective.
Explore further
Giftedness at work
Perfectionism, intensity, a need for meaning and feeling out of step at work are often closely connected.
Read the article →HIP assessment
An assessment objectively evaluates cognitive functioning and moves beyond impressions about your own intelligence.
Book an appointment →More articles about giftedness
The best books about giftedness
Reading can help you learn more about giftedness and make better use of the abilities it brings.
What are the 10 signs that you might be gifted?
Discover 10 key signs of giftedness. Every gifted person is unique, and few have all 10 characteristics!
Test: are you a victim of a narcissistic manipulator?
The concept of narcissistic abuse is particularly useful for understanding the manipulation experienced by many people with Asperger syndrome or giftedness
What is HEP?
High Emotional Potential corresponds to extremely high emotional intelligence…
Do you have HIP or HEP?
Do you identify more with High Intellectual Potential or High Emotional Potential?
Branching thought
Branching thought is a network-like way of thinking: each idea gives rise to several others, which in turn lead to more ideas.
Giftedness or Asperger Syndrome?
Do you identify more with the characteristics of a gifted person or those of a person with Asperger Syndrome?
Are you a gifted woman?
Bright, passionate and different, gifted women often hide the qualities that make them distinctive.
