Impostor Syndrome in Selected Postmodern Poets: A Psychoanalytic Approach

Abstract

Impostor Syndrome (IP), which can be described as a perception of self-delusion despite proof of success, has become one of the most significant issues under discussion in the field of mental health and organizational psychology. This paper considers the issue of IP with the help of psychoanalysis, focusing on the writings of four prominent British and American poets of the post-modern period, including Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, Carol Ann Duffy, and Philip Larkin. Analysis of poems such as Lady Lazarus, Her Kind, Standing Female Nude, and Self’s the Man illustrates the common themes of self-doubt, dependence on outside validation, and fragmented identity. The paper explores the ways in which these poets employ literary devices such as fragmentation, irony, and masks to explain the internal struggle of feeling inadequate despite outward success. Moreover, it analyzes the role of social pressures and the gaze of other people in increasing the sense of alienation and inauthenticity. The present research adds to the body of knowledge regarding IP by explaining its underlying psychology and its gendered and cultural aspects, as well as by emphasizing the importance of poetry in expressing human emotions. The findings prove that poetry enables the poet to express self-doubt, fragmented identity, and inner struggle in symbolic form, thus illustrating the relevance of IP to postmodern mental health discourse in general and the nature of the self in particular. Keywords: Impostor Syndrome, Psychoanalytic Theory, Postmodern Poetry, Self-Doubt, Identity Fragmentation.