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pjeby comments on Pain and gain motivation - Less Wrong
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The number of people who have fears of being discovered as incompetent (e.g. "impostor syndrome") strongly suggests a biological explanation.
In any case, my model is slightly broader than Kaj's summary implies -- this sort of fear-of-discovery applies to any acts or personal qualities that, if known, would lead to lower tribal status. You don't have to be actually thrown out of your tribe in order for discovery of a negative quality to alter your reproductive opportunities (or your probability of surviving long enough to have some).
How is impostor syndrome different from having low self esteem?
Er, one is a fear of being discovered as incompetent, and the other is low self-esteem? ;-)
Obviously, having a low opinion of your abilities would be a prerequisite for fearing that others will come to share that opinion. So, I'm not sure I understand your question.
"Low self-esteem" is usually interpreted to mean, "having a lower opinion of self than is merited" -- so if you fear discovery of your incompetence, the incompetence itself could be either actual or imagined, and only in the imaginary case would the "low self-esteem" label also apply. ;-)