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Have you ever downplayed (貶低) your achievements, thinking you aren’t worthy of your success? If so, it’s likely that you have imposter syndrome (冒充者綜合征).

你是否曾經(jīng)貶低自己的成就，認為自己配不上這樣的成就？如果是這樣，你很可能患有“冒充者綜合征”。

In a study published in 2022 by Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany, researchers found that the phenomenon of imposter syndrome transcends (超越) age, gender, and intelligence.

德國馬丁·路德大學(xué)的哈勒·維滕貝格于2022年發(fā)表的一項研究顯示，冒充者綜合征的影響已經(jīng)超越了年齡、性別和智力的界限。

downplay  /ˌdaʊnˈpleɪ/  v.貶低

例句：The coach is downplaying the team's poor performance.

教練對這個(gè)隊的拙劣表現不以為然。

——《牛津詞典》

imposter   /ˈɪmpəʊstə/   n.假冒者

例句：He was an imposter, who  masqueraded  as a doctor.

他是個(gè)冒牌醫生。

——《柯林斯高階英漢雙解學(xué)習詞典》

syndrome  /ˈsɪndrəʊm/   n.綜合征

例句：This syndrome is associated with frequent coughing.

這種綜合征與經(jīng)�？人杂嘘P(guān)。

——《牛津詞典》

圖源：千圖網(wǎng)

While often labeled as a “syndrome”, imposter syndrome is not a clinical diagnosis (臨床診斷) but a negative cognitive (認知的) pattern. People struggling with imposter syndrome frequently discount their achievements and attribute their success to chance rather than their own abilities or hard work. Sufferers often harbor thoughts such as “I am a failure” or “I must exert greater effort than my peers”.

雖然這種表現通常被稱(chēng)為“綜合癥”，但“冒充者綜合征”不是一種臨床病癥，而是一種消極的認知模式。患者經(jīng)常低估自己的成就，并將其歸因于運氣，而非自己的能力或努力。患者往往懷有“我是個(gè)失敗者”或“我必須比同齡人付出更大的努力”等想法。

clinical  /ˈklɪnɪkl/  adj.臨床的

例句：The new drug is undergoing clinical trials.

這種新藥正在進(jìn)行臨床試驗。

——《牛津詞典》

cognitive  /ˈkɒɡnətɪv/   adj.認知的

例句：As children grow older, their cognitive processes become sharper.

孩子們越長(cháng)越大，他們的認知過(guò)程變得更為敏銳。

——《柯林斯高階英漢雙解學(xué)習詞典》

exert   /ɪɡˈzɜːt/   v.努力

例句：In order to be successful he would have to exert himself.

他必須努力才能成功。

——《牛津詞典》

In some cases, the imposter phenomenon can interfere with (干擾) a person’s mental health and overall functioning, leading to increased anxiety and depression. It may also affect a person’s performance. For example, if a black woman at a university job interview sees only portraits of white male leaders on the wall, she may perceive that the environment was not intended to be inclusive of individuals like herself.

在某些情況下，冒充者綜合征會(huì )干擾一個(gè)人的心理健康和整體功能，導致焦慮和抑郁加劇。它也會(huì )影響個(gè)人的表現。例如，如果一名黑人女性在大學(xué)面試時(shí)只看到墻上白人男性領(lǐng)導人的肖像，她可能會(huì )認為環(huán)境并不會(huì )包容像她這樣的人。

phenomenon  /fəˈnɒmɪnən/   n.現象

例句：The causes of the phenomenon are still incompletely understood.

造成這種現象的原因尚未徹底弄清。

——《牛津詞典》

interfere   /ˌɪntəˈfɪə(r)/   v.干涉

例句：The police are very unwilling to interfere in family problems.

警方很不情愿插手家庭問(wèn)題。

——《牛津詞典》

function   /ˈfʌŋkʃnɪŋ/  n.功能

例句：The main function of the merchant banks is to raise capital for industry.

商業(yè)銀行的主要職能是為產(chǎn)業(yè)融資。

——《柯林斯高階英漢雙解學(xué)習詞典》

This syndrome impacts a broad spectrum of individuals, from adolescents (青少年) to adults, including many accomplished people. In 2020, an analysis of this psychological phenomenon was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. Drawing from data from 62 studies, researchers revealed that as many as 82 percent of participants suffer from imposter syndrome.

這種綜合癥影響著(zhù)巨大人群——從青少年到成年人，這其中包括許多有成就的人。2020年，《普通內科學(xué)雜志》發(fā)表了對這一心理現象的分析。研究人員根據62項研究的數據表示：多達82%的參與者被“冒充者綜合癥”困擾著(zhù)。

 spectrum   /ˈspektrəm/   n.系列

例句：We shall hear views from across the political spectrum.

我們要聽(tīng)取各個(gè)政治派別的看法。

——《牛津詞典》

accomplished  /əˈkʌmplɪʃt/    adj.頗有建樹(shù)的

例句：She is an accomplished painter.

她是位頗有建樹(shù)的畫(huà)家。

——《柯林斯高階英漢雙解學(xué)習詞典》

Overcoming these negative thought patterns is undoubtedly challenging, yet entirely feasible (可行的). It is crucial to recognize that experiencing such emotions is entirely commonplace. One strategy involves refraining (避免) from comparing oneself to others, as one often fails to grasp the complete narrative behind another person’s accomplishments.

克服消極的思維模式確實(shí)很有挑戰性，但是我們可以做到。在這過(guò)程中至關(guān)重要的一點(diǎn)是：我們需要認識到有消極的情緒或想法是很正常的。其中一個(gè)方法就是避免和他人進(jìn)行比較，因為你無(wú)法真正知道別人收獲這份成功都經(jīng)歷了什么。

 feasible /ˈfiːzəbl/ adj.可行的

例句：I doubt the feasibility of the plan.

我懷疑這個(gè)計劃的可行性。

——《牛津詞典》

crucial  /ˈkruːʃl/   adj.關(guān)鍵的

例句：The next few weeks are going to be crucial.

今后幾個(gè)星期是關(guān)鍵。

——《牛津詞典》

 refrain   /rɪˈfreɪn/   v.避免

例句：Please refrain from smoking.

請勿吸煙。

——《牛津詞典》

It is an undeniable truth that not everyone can excel in all domains. Notably, British physicist Anthony Leggett, a recipient (獲得者) of the Nobel Prize in 2003, said in his speech, “I missed out on standard high school physics, so I have always been a bit confused about simple things like why the noise from a kettle stops as the water nears boiling.”

不可否認的事實(shí)是，并不是每個(gè)人都能在所有領(lǐng)域出類(lèi)拔萃。值得一提的是，2003年諾貝爾獎獲得者、英國物理學(xué)家安東尼·萊格特在演講中說(shuō)：“我沒(méi)有接受過(guò)普遍意義上的高中物理學(xué)習，所以一直以來(lái)我總會(huì )對一些簡(jiǎn)單的事情感到困惑，比如為什么水壺的聲音在水快要開(kāi)的時(shí)候就停止了。”

domain /dəˈmeɪn/  n.領(lǐng)域

例句：The care of older people is being placed firmly within the domain of the family.

照顧老人仍然被確認為是家庭范圍的事。

——《牛津詞典》

kettle    /ˈketl/   n.水壺

例句：I'll put the kettle on and make us some tea.

我去燒壺水給大家沏茶。

——《柯林斯高階英漢雙解學(xué)習詞典》

When dealing with feelings of insecurity regarding one’s capabilities, it is important to remember that such feelings are entirely normal and can be overcome through concerted effort.

在處理對自己能力的懷疑時(shí)，重要的是要記�。哼@種感覺(jué)是完全正常的。我們可以通過(guò)努力來(lái)克服它。

insecurity /ˌɪnsɪˈkjʊərɪti/  n.不安全

例句：They trade on people's insecurity to sell them insurance.   他們利用人們的不安全感向他們推銷(xiāo)保險。

——《牛津詞典》

concerted   /kənˈsɜːtɪd/ adj.同心協(xié)力的

例句：Martin Parry, author of the report, says it's time for concerted action by world leaders.

該報道的作者馬丁·帕里宣稱(chēng)是世界各國的首腦采取一致行動(dòng)的時(shí)候了。

——《柯林斯高階英漢雙解學(xué)習詞典》