ABC/Tyler Golden(LOS ANGELES) — Shortly after winning an Oscar, actress Viola Davis, who has also won an Emmy award and a Tony award, told ABC News’ Amy Robach that she sometimes feels like she has “impostor syndrome.”
“It feels like my hard work has paid off but at the same time I still have the impostor, you know, syndrome,” Davis said in an interview with ABC News after her big win. “I still feel like I’m going to wake up and everybody’s going to see me for the hack I am.
“I still feel like when I walk on the set, I’m starting from scratch until I realize, ‘OK, I do know what I’m doing, I’m human,'” Davis added.
The “impostor phenomenon,” often referred to as “impostor syndrome,” is a concept psychologists coined to refer to people that may feel their achievements are underserved or worry that they may be exposed as a fraud, according to a study on the phenomenon published in the International Journal of Behavioral Science.
An estimated 70 percent of people will experience at least one episode of impostor phenomenon in their lives, according to the same study.
In addition, although it was initially believed to only affect professional women, research has revealed that it can actually affect both genders and a wide range of people.
Another study published in the Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development suggested that certain ethnic minority groups, including Asian Americans, may be more likely to feel like an “impostor.”
Actress Emma Watson spoke out about “impostor syndrome” in an interview with Vogue UK in 2015. “When I receive recognition for my acting, I feel incredibly uncomfortable,” the actress told the magazine. “I tend to turn in on myself, I feel like an impostor.”
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