Kate Atkin

Who here hasn’t heard about “imposter syndrome”? I’ve certainly been seeing it around a lot, and in fact I’m sure I’ve said I “had it” multiple times. So, when I saw the cover for The Imposter Phenomenon by Dr. Kate Atkin, with that “syndrome” crossed out, I was immediately intrigued.

The reframing of imposterism as a phenomenon instead of a syndrome, and imposter feelings as something a person may experience instead of something they “have” was eye-opening and really show more made me reflect on how much power the way in which we talk about something has.

Although this book is based on the author’s PhD research, it’s completely accessible and an extremely pleasant read that does need or expect the reader to be an academic, as complex concepts are broken down and practical examples from research participants are used throughout to illustrate the various ways in which imposter thoughts can manifest.

I particularly liked that the author included little spaces for “time in”, offering questions to guide introspective reflections and very practical ways in which a reader could reflect on their own imposter feelings or support someone who is experiencing them. Having been both at some point or another, I found them an incredibly useful tool that I will certainly refer back to in the future. I highlighted a made notes throughout – which I don’t often do to this degree! – as I really wanted to be able to find those powerful quotes again.

I also really appreciated the fact that the author included one’s context as a factor to consider when dealing with imposter feelings. This is something I often find is missing from “self-help” books, which tend to take a very individualistic approach and ignore the ways in which the context we live and work in can affect our thoughts, feelings, and reactions.

The only thing stopping this from being a full 5 stars for me is that I found some sections to be slightly too repetitive, while in a few passages I would have liked to see the book go a bit more in depth. These were fairly minor though and I really enjoyed this overall!

I received a digital review copy of this book for free from the publisher as part of the online book tour organised by Literally PR. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way. show less