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The impostor anticipates the truth of the other

Jochem Willemsen (UGent) , Eline Trenson (UGent) and Reitske Meganck (UGent)
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Abstract
In this paper, we will elaborate on an article by Hélène Deutsch on the psychology of the impostor. The impostor is a specific type of liar who imposes on others dishonest stories about his identity. From a psychoanalytic point of view, identity is by definition fraudulent as there is no real Self. But the impostor duplicates this fraud by presenting dishonest stories about personal attainments, position, or worldly possessions. Referring to Freud’s text on ‘Two lies told by children,’ we will demonstrate that in the neurotic subject (a) the motive for lying is love, and (b) the purpose of lying is to deny symbolic castration in order to preserve an imaginary ideal. The impostor takes this one step further: here the motive is not love but admiration, and the purpose is not denial but disavowal of the symbolic castration. Finally, we will discuss the ambivalent relation of the public towards the impostor that seems all too willing to be deceived. In that sense, the lies of the impostor anticipate the Other’s truth about castration.
Keywords
Lie, Hélène Deutsch, Impostor, Identity, Perverse structure

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MLA
Willemsen, Jochem, et al. “The Impostor Anticipates the Truth of the Other.” CASYS : INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTING ANTICIPATORY SYSTEMS, vol. 29, 2014, pp. 95–102.
APA
Willemsen, J., Trenson, E., & Meganck, R. (2014). The impostor anticipates the truth of the other. CASYS : INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTING ANTICIPATORY SYSTEMS, 29, 95–102.
Chicago author-date
Willemsen, Jochem, Eline Trenson, and Reitske Meganck. 2014. “The Impostor Anticipates the Truth of the Other.” CASYS : INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTING ANTICIPATORY SYSTEMS 29: 95–102.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
Willemsen, Jochem, Eline Trenson, and Reitske Meganck. 2014. “The Impostor Anticipates the Truth of the Other.” CASYS : INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTING ANTICIPATORY SYSTEMS 29: 95–102.
Vancouver
1.
Willemsen J, Trenson E, Meganck R. The impostor anticipates the truth of the other. CASYS : INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTING ANTICIPATORY SYSTEMS. 2014;29:95–102.
IEEE
[1]
J. Willemsen, E. Trenson, and R. Meganck, “The impostor anticipates the truth of the other,” CASYS : INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTING ANTICIPATORY SYSTEMS, vol. 29, pp. 95–102, 2014.
@article{3036325,
  abstract     = {{In this paper, we will elaborate on an article by Hélène Deutsch on the psychology of the impostor. The impostor is a specific type of liar who imposes on others dishonest stories about his identity. From a psychoanalytic point of view, identity is by definition fraudulent as there is no real Self. But the impostor duplicates this fraud by presenting dishonest stories about personal attainments, position, or worldly possessions. Referring to Freud’s text on ‘Two lies told by children,’ we will demonstrate that in the neurotic subject (a) the motive for lying is love, and (b) the purpose of lying is to deny symbolic castration in order to preserve an imaginary ideal. The impostor takes this one step further: here the motive is not love but admiration, and the purpose is not denial but disavowal of the symbolic castration. Finally, we will discuss the ambivalent relation of the public towards the impostor that seems all too willing to be deceived. In that sense, the lies of the impostor anticipate the Other’s truth about castration.}},
  author       = {{Willemsen, Jochem and Trenson, Eline and Meganck, Reitske}},
  issn         = {{1373-5411}},
  journal      = {{CASYS : INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTING ANTICIPATORY SYSTEMS}},
  keywords     = {{Lie,Hélène Deutsch,Impostor,Identity,Perverse structure}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{95--102}},
  title        = {{The impostor anticipates the truth of the other}},
  volume       = {{29}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}