After my recent inactivity, I finally gave everything some thought and I think I have something that may be contribution worthy to this site as I am likely not the only one. My field is also Experimental Psychology.

I am aware of this question, but I don't think it's necessarily within the scope of my concern: What's the term for people who think they suffering from imposter syndrome when in reality they *are* imposters?

I am wondering the difference between whether someone suffers from Imposter's Syndrome vs. actually being out of their depth. I'm not going to say someone out of their depth is an "imposter" per se since I think that's rude and is somewhat snobby. The question that was also asked by the original questioner in the old post passed judgment on that other person as well and I think that's unfair. I also want the scope of my question to apply to those at the Ph.D level as well.

After my recent inactivity, I finally gave everything some thought and I think I have something that may be contribution worthy to this site as I am likely not the only one.

I am aware of this question, but I don't think it's necessarily within the scope of my concern: What's the term for people who think they suffering from imposter syndrome when in reality they *are* imposters?

I am wondering the difference between whether someone suffers from Imposter's Syndrome vs. actually being out of their depth. I'm not going to say someone out of their depth is an "imposter" per se since I think that's rude and is somewhat snobby. The question that was also asked by the original questioner in the old post passed judgment on that other person as well and I think that's unfair. I also want the scope of my question to apply to those at the Ph.D level as well.

I'll use myself as an example (briefly). I've had feedback from others (in real life because my first Ph.D advisor dropped me and from others online) that have said, "Yeah, you weren't ready." Some examples (where I'll be brief): 3.3 BS GPA, 3.48 Master's GPA, got a C on seminar presentations for a 1 credit hour seminar class both years (B and B+ were the final grades), only one in my cohort who didn't pursue an additional 10 hours for an assistantship during my Master's (everyone other than me took a 1 credit hour TA class and I never took it. I didn't have an additional 10 hours for another RAship either), career coaches or life coaches were hired by my parents at every stage of my education and career to look over cover letters, resumes, and personal statements (I even credit them with me getting into graduate school in the first place).

For those wondering if others in my Master's program had similar issues, none of them did. I had the lowest grades and put in the least amount of working hours (I worked at an arts and crafts store part time my first year and continued that my second year). All of them had at least one independent project other than their thesis, worked on external research, or sometimes a bit more. I didn't do any of that. This trend also continued after I was done with coursework after the first year of my Ph.D where I was only working 15-20 hours a week since my first Ph.D advisor forbid from working on other projects save for my qualifier project. I didn't do anything else to help myself as well sadly.

Even though I got a visiting position at a SLAC, my course reviews and reception amongst the student base (even during my interview) was not good. For example, earlier today, one of the students in my class indirectly called me out when I went straight to pulling out my laptop for a lecture by saying, "good afternoon" to me in a deadpan tone.

I also developed a plethora of mental health issues based on my latest neuropsychological evaluation and stint in partial hospitalization recently. Severe major depressive disorder, PTSD (from how my first advisor treated me), and generalized anxiety disorder. In a lot of ways, I believe pursuing the terminal degree has set me back, rather than forward. I am going through vocational rehabilitation to become a research assistant or a clinical research coordinator instead. I know that job only requires a Bachelor's, but that felt like the only thing I could reasonably do with my skillset.

Side note as well: I got awarded a fellowship for those who have a diverse affiliation (I'm neurodivergent - ASD, ADHD-I, 3rd percentile processing speed) for $11k. I'll fulfill my service requirements via this visiting instructor position but it's mandatory I graduate or I need to return the funds. I recently finished data collection and now need to just analyze the results and write up all of the other sections before I defend my dissertation.

Feedback example: "To be blunt, you do not seem to have the qualities that I would associate with getting a PhD and working independently. Your grades, lack of direction and the need to use your parents and life coaches all suggest that you are not likely to do well in any career that requires a self-starter who can work independently."