THE IMPOSTOR SYNDROME 91A corollary to this disturbance of the impostor ’ s sense of identity is
a defi ciency in the acquisition of well - developed internalized standards
and values. Fa ç ade and pretence will be substituted for real achievement.
Impostors always seem to be on stage, relying on fi ction for a temporary
identity (Bursten, 1973 ; Martin, 1988 ). In acting the way they do, they
have retained the make - believe quality of many childhood games, and
the audience is needed to confi rm their sense of identity and reality.
Impostors discover early in life the power of the word. Like the
troubadours of bygone days, or writers of fi ction, they know how to
fabricate illusions. Langer (1953) refers to the ‘ mnemonic mode, ’ the
ability ‘ to make that illusion convincing, i.e. make it, however far it may
be from actuality, seem real ’ (p. 291). Structure, diction, imagery, the
use of names and allusions are ways of making this happen. Descriptive
expansion gives impostors ’ stories their vitality and encourages suspen-
sion of disbelief. Langer mentions how the troubadours ’ audiences would
revel in their descriptions and ask for greater elaboration, building up,
as it were, a three - dimensional painting. Impostors act in a similar way.
Given their empathic responsiveness, their ability to react to the cues of
his audience, they will weave those cues into their tales, creating an
increasingly credible tapestry of illusions. Porter (1987) , in his study of
the language of quackery, gives some insight into the how fake physi-
cians, a specifi c type of impostor, are able to fool their audiences. Quacks
come across as verbal pyrotechnicians, combining fl attery with assur-
ance. They use pseudo - scientifi c terms to obfuscate. They resort to
religious allusions and superstitions; they draw on the mystique of exoti-
cism, of faraway places, and utilize, as another source of prestige, social
cachet, alluding to their acquaintanceship with the high and mighty.
The optimistic way in which they are able to describe the supposed
success of their exploits and how this success will enhance the lives of
others can be intoxicating to their audience.
Symbolically, one can argue that impostors take on the role of the
archaic, all - caring mother, satisfying our oceanic longings, gratifying
the almost - forgotten, but never really relinquished, wish for total atten-
tion that characterizes early childhood. To the impostor, the greediness
of the audience becomes another level on which to operate. In this
context, the comedian W.C. Field ’ s statement — ‘ Yo u c a n ’ t cheat an
honest man ’ — rings a bell of truth. Between impostor and audience there
is an element of mutuality, a kind of unconscious conspiracy. The
audience is made happy, thinking it will get what it wants, while the
impostor needs the audience to counteract a sense of inner emptiness
and reaffi rm some kind of identity. Of course, the audience is most