Imposter syndrome, also called perceived fraudulence, involves feelings of self-doubt and personal incompetence that persist despite your education, experience, and accomplishments. To counter these feelings, you might end up working harder and holding yourself to ever higher standards. When impostor syndrome was first conceptualized, it was viewed as a phenomenon that was common among high-achieving females. Further research has shown that it affects both males and females, in the collective sense that the proportion affected are more or less equally distributed among the genders.