What Can Harry Potter Teach Us About Impostor Syndrome?

When I was in my MA program, I felt like a complete fraud. I was convinced I’d been accepted by mistake. There was no way I was smart enough to be in a graduate program. Eventually I opened up to some people in my program and found a bit of relief in the fact that they felt similarly fraudulent. I was even more relieved when I found out there was a name for my experience: impostor syndrome. 

The term “impostor syndrome” is credited to Dr. Pauline Clance and Dr. Suzanne Imes from their 1978 article “The impostor phenomenon in high achieving women.” It is generally understood to be a psychological state wherein the individual believes all their success should be attributed to someone else and/or all of their failures are their own fault entirely. One of the best ways to combat impostor syndrome is to recognize it as a common experience. This method is so effective that I recognized it in a character from one of my favorite series.

Unlike most of my peers, I didn’t start reading the Harry Potter series until I was in college. I bought the first book at the airport on my flight home after my freshman year. Maybe this is why when I relate to Harry’s trials and experiences, I relate to them as an adult rather than an 11-year-old.

For instance, I recently had an epiphany regarding impostor syndrome and the Hat-Sorting-Ceremony that takes place when Harry first arrives at Hogwarts. For those unfamiliar with the story, Harry had just learned that most of the followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named supposedly came from Slytherin House. As a result, Harry’s only concern is that he not be placed in Slytherin. The Sorting Hat, however, isn’t quite set on where Harry belongs; it tells Harry that he has many qualities that would serve him well as a Slytherin. Eventually the Hat concedes to Harry’s wish and places him in Gryffindor.

Despite his general satisfaction with the placement, Harry is haunted by the thought that he does not belong in Gryffindor, that in listening to his pleas, the Hat made a mistake. In the second book, Harry asks the Hat directly if he should have been placed in Slytherin. The Hat maintains that Harry would have done well in Slytherin House, but concludes that it still agrees with its decision. It’s not until the very end of the final book that readers see Harry as confident in his identity as a Gryffindor.

Choice vs. Destiny is a popular theme throughout the Harry Potter books. In The Chamber of Secrets Dumbledore says, “It is our choices, Harry, that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities.” And he repeats this sentiment in The Goblet of Fire: “You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be!” Dumbeldore’s point is that each time Harry chooses to fight Voldemort rather than join him, Harry solidifies his identity. 

Similarly, each time I choose to be a writer, each day I give myself time to write, I’m solidifying my identity as a writer. And if Harry can defeat a semi-immortal wizard who's got an army of supporters, I figure I can probably keep working on my dissertation.

Harry is proud to be a Gryffindor. We can be proud to be writers.

Kacy Walz is a Minnesota native currently living in St. Louis, MO. She has been a Writing Instructor at Walden since 2016 and spends most of her free time trying to complete her PhD, seeking out adventure, and playing with her puppy dog.

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