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I am no psychologist, but this sounds very much like impostor syndrome, which is by no means the exclusive domain of the startup world. When I was in grad school, the school offered seminars and workshops on it. I never went, but I'm not sure what a seminar is supposed to do for someone who has difficulty recognizing their accomplishments.

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According to my wife (PhD), impostor syndrome is a huge issue for new woman scholars - especially those in traditionally male-dominated fields. I think part of it is the lack of female role models in those fields. When all of your committee, and all of the scholars you reference, are male, I think you get an implicit signal that you shouldn't be where you are - despite having successfully completed your doctorate.

there is an awesome TED talk by Amy Cuddy that touches on this subject (in addition to how to combat it) http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes...

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