Rob Ford, Justin Bieber and the ‘imposter syndrome’

When news broke on Thursday that Canadian pop star Justin Bieber had been arrested for reportedly drag racing his yellow Lamborghini through the streets of his upscale gated community while high on drugs, pills and alcohol, it marked the lowest depths of a public implosion for which the young celebrity had long seemed destined.

Nothing in Bieber's meteoric rise to international stardom could compare to the moment that his grinning, glass-eyed mug shot was released by the Miami Beach Police Department and immediately beamed across the globe.

Surely, Bieber had suffered missteps in the past, and they had started compounding in frequency and seriousness in recent weeks. Incidents of the young star spitting on crowds of his fans, urinating in mop buckets and attacking photographers signaled an impending meltdown. And a recent investigation into the reported egging of Bieber's neighbour, which left a member of his entourage charged with drug possession, marked its arrival.

And now this. Arrested, charged with drag racing a yellow Lamborghini while drunk, and apparently confessing to the police that had also consumed pot and prescription drugs. Rock. Bottom.

[ Related: Justin Bieber charged with drunk driving, drag racing in Florida ]

Of course, Justin Bieber’s downfall is not the only story of self-destruction to find its way onto the recent pages of Canadian history. In many ways, Bieber’s downfall shares similarities to that of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, recorded again this week drunk and rambling in public, months after a drug and confidence scandal nearly ended his political career.

The similarities don’t end with their Canadian heritage. In both cases, their descents appear to be aided by friends, entourages, and even family members who goaded them on and refused to address the depths of their problems. In both cases, they meltdowns seemed entirely preventable, intentional grand and purposely public.

Is it that Bieber and Ford are bad people? A punk kid and a belligerent train wreck with no discernible redeeming traits? Or is it that they were each held to such grand heights and expectations that a collapse was almost inevitable?

Psychotherapist Evan Katz, author of Inside the Mind of an Angry Man, says he believes Bieber is suffering from what he refers to as the “imposter syndrome,” a type of subconscious self-destruction.

The theory goes that when someone is celebrated for a singular talent or success, they can struggle with the sense they are being seen as a great person. The weight of that new status can become too much and send them on a subconscious path toward an intentional and public self destruction.

“Justin Bieber is a great and talented entertainer, but that doesn’t make him a great person. He is just a normal person who happens to be a great entertainer,” Katz told Yahoo Canada News in an interview on Thursday. “He feels like a fraud, even though he didn’t create the fraud.”

This imposter syndrome can be seen in Bieber’s career arch. Raised a wholesome boy from Stratford, Ont., he became an international heartthrob at young age. He had a few years of success as a parentally-approved celebrity before turning an unseen corner toward his embarrassing meltdown. Katz says that meltdown being played out in public is due in part to his fame, but also quite intentional.

“The anger is really at himself, which is why he does things to get himself arrested,” Katz said. “If he really wanted to do it right, he could have done things that no one would find out about.”

Katz says there are countless examples of this throughout the entertainment industry and sports, pointing to Tiger Woods as another example. He says that the imposter syndrome is also common in politics, like in the cases of Elliot Spitzer’s prostitution scandal and Anthony Weiner’s seemingly indiscriminate habit of texting people photos of his genitals.

Enter Rob Ford: The Golden child of the Toronto conservative movement who had overcome his checkered past to become mayor. Yet despite his success, a collapse always seemed inevitable. There were embarrassing bouts of public intoxication, as well as clashes with the media and members of the public. Finally, a crack scandal and police investigation exposed his flaws and human failings for the world to see.

[ More Brew: Mayor Rob Ford late to Economic Club speech because he was 'stuck in an elevator' ]

Remember back to the reputed contents of that crack video. Those who have seen the video report a crack-smoking Ford shares a self-pitying rant about the expectations that have been placed on him.

According to Katz, Ford seems to be another case of imposter syndrome, another instance of a regular guy being elevated to great heights and internally doubting his ability to live up to expectations.

“Here you have a guy who is a politician and a leader, and everything else. And inside he feels like a fraud,” he said. “What he does is put himself in a position, not thinking it out, to compromise everything. If you look at these guys afterwards, they really don’t know what to say.

“They are doing what other people do when they are lifted to high and their insides say, ‘I am not that good.’ In fact, their insides will say, ‘I am less than other people, they just don’t know it.’”

If the theory is right – and both Bieber and Ford suffer from the imposter syndrome – they could suffer until they hit rock bottom. Katz says the subconscious intention is to expose themselves as a flawed person, to shake the unnatural expectations that had been placed on them by the outside world.

It is not that Bieber and Ford are bad people. They are just not great people. Few of us are. Few of us are expected to live up to the expectations thrust upon Bieber and Ford. At least, that is how the theory goes.

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