Description Prologue: "Mom, I have so many thoughts in my head too!" Introduction: Imposter syndrome begins in childhood Chapter 1. Metacognitive Thinking to Remove the Mask, Part One: The Road to Happiness Is Bumpy People who believe their own success is fake Why diligent, high-achieving students feel anxious The easiest mask to wear: test scores What lies hidden behind a perfect result The "path of thought" everyone needs for growth Everyone reaches their goals differently The stereotype that "mature people have it all together" Why the mask becomes dangerous How to praise without fear of success Letting go of the need to keep up with others What matters more than comparison is giving your full effort The moment you reveal your imperfect self, metacognition begins "We will keep learning and growing." [Summary] Practicing metacognition for true happiness Chapter 2. Metacognitive Thinking to Remove the Mask, Part Two: Every Child Goes Through a Stage of Not Knowing The mindset of parents who believe "my child was always good at this" The risk of imposter parents raising imposter children The ability to step out of the present and think about the future What you learn today, you may forget tomorrow The mistake of erasing past trial and error from memory The imposter who fears feedback "Giving up" from a metacognitive perspective—when it's needed How to avoid passing the mask down to your children Why new students are at high risk of becoming imposters The illusion of "I already know everything" What to say to a child who grew up too fast A child wearing the mask of the "good daughter" becomes a perfectionist mother Thinking about why you're wrong, not just why you're right Letting go of the anxiety of "only I don't know" [Summary] Practicing metacognition to overcome hindsight bias Chapter 3. Metacognitive Thinking to Remove the Mask, Part Three: True Humility Means Knowing How to Ask for Help The moment the virtue of humility becomes a mask "Why are you acting so full of yourself?" Emphasizing your flaws is not metacognition Why we can't believe our child has studied enough What truly motivates isn't humility, but genuine interest The expectation that unconditional agreement will make others like you The problems that arise from focusing only on shortcomings The psychology of wanting to succeed while fearing reward Is shouldering everything alone really a good thing? Practice seeing yourself objectively Sometimes children help build their parents' metacognition first Crushing a child's spirit is not humility We can be good teachers for one another Who gets to decide the most accurate standard? Metacognitive humility: acknowledging your own strengths [Summary] Practicing metacognition for healthy humility Chapter 4. "Learning to Be Found Out" for Both Parents and Children Can you live your whole life wearing a mask? Being found out also requires learning Children who abandon metacognition for fear of disappointing their parents Essential conditions for practicing "learning to be found out" With the mindset of "let's try just a little more" You can choose the moment you take off the mask How to make healthy mask-wearing possible The best mask of all is being yourself Epilogue: A Path of Thought for Parents Still Living as Imposters Acknowledgments Acknowledgement References Excerpt The first reason I wrote this book was to share the process of change I went through—how I, someone who lived wearing an imposter's mask, came to find my true self. But there was another reason. I wanted to show Korean readers, who are so used to wearing masks that they find it hard to reveal and express themselves, how to use metacognition to meet their true selves. While reviewing the psychological studies on imposterism, I came to believe that we need to think carefully about why people wear the imposter mask, and why that mask needs to be maintained or removed. — from the Introduction Children first learn how to express emotions through their parents. But learning to express emotions doesn't mean they lay out every thought they've kept to themselves. Metacognition consists of thoughts hidden within, and it is entirely up to the child to decide what to reveal and what to keep inside. While it's important to respect a child's choices, parents should still guide their children so they don't fall into imposterism.