Narcissists are known to mimic others. They copy other people’s appearance, expressions, actions, and even their overall personality.

Mimicking someone else can be disturbing, as it’s not normal behavior. However, narcissists’ motives aren’t always evil. It depends on the narcissist and the situation.

Here are the main reasons why narcissists mimic you…

Mimic Others To Appear Normal

Most narcissists are aware of their differences. However, they want to fit in, to be liked, and admired.

So, they mimic people who possess the qualities they desire but don’t possess. The quality they most desperately seek is empathy.

Narcissists are envious of empathic people because they easily show kindness and sincerity, which allows them to connect with people and be highly valued.

Related : Why It Seems Like Narcissists Are Everywhere

So, a narcissist may mimic expressions, traits, and behaviors that demonstrate empathy. They can claim personal empathy, which allows them to attract people and make them look better.

Narcissists may also imitate hobbies and interests that demonstrate empathy. For example, they might imitate a vegetarian, someone who works in care, or someone who volunteers for charities.

Love Bombing Mimicking

At the beginning of relationships, narcissists often like to bomb. They act nice and pretend to be the perfect partner.

Narcissists do this to attract people emotionally and engage them. This allows the narcissist to treat them even worse in the future, as no one wants to give up on a supposedly “perfect” relationship.

As part of their love bombing, narcissists often imitate their new partner. They may pretend to like the same things, such as the same music, movies, and hobbies; pretend to have similar political views; wear similar clothes; etc.

Narcissists know that people are drawn to like-minded people. So, they copy their traits to attract them. But once they’re attracted to them, they back off. This is why the narcissist may suddenly lose interest in their supposed shared interests.

Avoiding Rejection And Abandonment

Many narcissists fear rejection and abandonment, especially if they have borderline traits. They fear this for several reasons.

The main reason is that narcissists need a narcissistic source to bolster their fragile self-esteem. This narcissistic source requires people to provide them with attention, admiration, etc. Therefore, if no one is around, they may collapse psychologically.

Related : Why Didn’t You Leave The Narcissist?

Narcissists also fear rejection and abandonment because it tells them something they don’t want to hear. It implies that they aren’t superior or special. Who would abandon someone if they were great?

Leaving a narcissist suggests they are worthless. So, they may resort to imitating their friends and lovers to prevent them from leaving, just to maintain their illusions of superiority.

Mirror_to_Win_People

Narcissists may also resort to imitating people to win them over, such as friends, coworkers, bosses, etc.

As with love bombing, narcissists mimic other people’s traits, preferences, and personalities, creating the impression that they are like-minded, which is good for bonding.

Some narcissists completely change their personalities depending on who they are imitating. This means that different people see a completely different narcissist.

This sometimes leads narcissists to not want to meet the people in their lives, as they can’t continue the charade if everyone is in the same room. So, they keep people separate to conceal their personality changes.

Mirror_to_Form_Their_Identity

Most narcissists don’t have a fixed identity. Rather, their identity is transferable. It’s often an exaggerated fantasy of someone they wish they could be.

So, narcissists mimic other people’s behaviors, mannerisms, traits, etc., and use them as their own, because they don’t know who they really are. Therefore, you may find that a narcissist behaves differently, depending on who is in their life at the time.

Related : Why Narcissists Hate Their Partners

If they meet a new friend or coworker they admire, they may act like them for a while. Then, they start talking like them, dressing like them, and even looking like them. After a while, they may meet someone else, projecting a completely different personality.

To Feel Powerful

Narcissists may imitate you if they perceive you as powerful or successful. This is because they harbor delusions of superiority and desperately desire to be elevated to a higher position.

So, narcissists may adopt your appearance, style of dress, mannerisms, etc., to project your apparent success. For most narcissists, the appearance of success is more important than actual success.

To Compete With You

Narcissists constantly compare themselves to others. If someone “outperforms” them in an area they hold dear, they may feel intense jealousy.

To satisfy their jealousy, narcissists may imitate the people they envy. They may dress the same, drive the same car, and mimic aspects of their personality just to compete. All while criticizing and trying to put them down.

Conclusion

Narcissists imitate others to cover up their social shortcomings. But they may also use this to attract and manipulate others.

If you meet someone who loves everything you love and acts like you, be wary. Notice how much they know about your “common interests.” Take your time before letting them into your life.

Ask yourself these questions: Is their knowledge superficial? Or do they have a deeper understanding, consistent with someone who is truly interested?

Related : Why Narcissists Criticism So Much

Narcissists are often experts at faking superficial knowledge, especially if they are intellectual narcissists. This is because they want to “know” more than anyone else.

But this doesn’t imply genuine interest or passion. So, the narcissist learns just enough to impress those who don’t know the subject. But nothing more. So, if you dig deeper, you’ll find huge gaps in their knowledge.

While this isn’t a definitive sign that a narcissist is mirroring you, it is a warning sign. And something to be wary of. Because if they’re a narcissist, they may attract you to their reflection before they shatter that mirror and unleash their narcissism on you.