Why am I afraid of success?
By No Rush · Updated October 31, 2026
The short answer
Mostly it's about what comes after success. People say things like: if this works out, it'll be expected of me from then on. Or: I don't know who I'd be if it actually worked. In the 1970s researchers tried to pin fear of success down as a trait, and later studies didn't back that up. A first question to ask yourself: suppose it works out. Who notices first, and what do they say?
Is fear of success real?
As an idea, it comes from the psychologist Matina Horner, around 1970. She thought some women held back because success seemed to clash with what was expected of them. In 1976 Tresemer put more than a hundred studies side by side and found no consistent picture. So as a trait you can measure, it did not hold up. The feeling people describe is a separate thing.
Why would someone be afraid of success?
When people describe it, it often sounds like this: if this works out, it'll be expected of me from then on. Or: I don't know who I am if it does start working. Some make what went well look small, or tell nobody about it. These are things people say about themselves. Research has not shown where they come from.
In the No Rush app
Under Where it stalls, the app shows sentences people say to themselves when things don't move, such as If this works out, it'll be expected of me from then on. The app has no exercise for this one. It asks one question: Suppose it works out. Who notices first, and what do they say? You don't have to fill anything in.
No Rush app
An iPhone app for people who feel stuck. It sets out one small next step at a time and tells you why that one. It is not therapy.
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Sources
- Horner (1972). Toward an understanding of achievement-related conflicts in women. Journal of Social Issues, 28(2), 157-175. doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1972.tb00023.x
- Tresemer (1976). The cumulative record of research on ‘fear of success’. Sex Roles, 2(3), 217-236. doi.org/10.1007/BF00287650
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