Even when intentions are good, mirroring can backfire if it becomes too obvious. A person who overdoes it can become transparent, and others may interpret their efforts to improve communication or make social contact as dishonest or insincere.
In other words, you're not always being a pessimist when you feel something isn't right or is too good to be true. “Mirroring” is an abuse tactic and an example of one of the above situations. It's when someone acts as though they're “just like you” and “just what you need” in order to manipulate you as they please.
Like just about everything, mirroring does have a downside—which brings us back to that pushy salesperson. “Mirroring can also be manipulative, which is why you might feel uncomfortable if a salesperson starts acting like you in order to make the sale,” Reiman explains.
Mirroring body language is a non-verbal way to show empathy. It signals that we are connected to that person in some way. A set of specific nerve cells in the brain called mirror neurons are responsible for mirroring. One common situation occurs when a person laughs.
For instance, they can imitate your clothing choice, your tone of voice, your hair style. This is quite common especially in a friendship with a same-sex narcissist. Your friend slowly steals your identity, but they do this so subtly that it can even look like you're the one who's imitating the other.
Mirroring is a tactic many narcissists and other manipulative people often employ in order to ingratiate themselves. They reflect idealized versions of their targets back to them. In a way, they get you to fall in love with a simulacrum of the best version of yourself.
“One of the biggest and most challenging aspects of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is often 'The Chameleon Effect' – or 'mirroring'. This is the constant, unconscious change in the person's 'self', as they struggle to fit in with their environment, or the people around them.
According to Dr. Katherine Phillips of Cornell University, based on the findings of the scientific literature and our own research to date, Mirror Syndrome (also known as Body Dysmorphia Syndrome) is a mental disorder related to body image that is more widespread than it might seem.
Imitating others' actions or gestures can be a natural human behavior, but when it happens frequently and involuntarily, it could be echopraxia. Mimicking or mirroring someone else's actions can be a natural part of the human socialization and learning process.
The personality types most likely to practice mirroring on a regular basis are those that possess an Extraverted Feeling (Fe) function. This includes ENFJs and ESFJs, for whom the Fe function is dominant, and INFJs and ISFJs, who have an auxiliary Fe function.
People with NPD engage in narcissistic mirroring for three primary reasons: They lack a defined identity and are trying on yours. They are working to win you over, reflecting back what they think you want to see. They are faking intimacy, because they lack the skills and desire for genuine connection.
Narcissistic mirroring often involves non-verbal communication too. Whether you lean forward, back, or to the side, they mirror that. If you talk fast and loud, they talk fast and loud. If you talk with your hands, they will too – and it might be an exact, carbon-copy of the hand movement you just made.
They'll be your fake soul mate
Psychopaths often mirror the people they are targeting; they profess to have similar morals and values; their personalities and characteristics seem oddly familiar.
Mirroring is basic empathy in that it allows another person to feel like they have heard. They feel their experience acknowledged, and that can be a huge relief. When we are upset, it can be pretty easy to have isolating thoughts. “Maybe it's just me!” or “No one understands”.
Echopraxia (also known as echokinesis) is the involuntary repetition or imitation of another person's actions. Similar to echolalia, the involuntary repetition of sounds and language, it is one of the echophenomena ("automatic imitative actions without explicit awareness").
When someone with borderline personality disorder (BPD) interacts with someone else, they often do so in a way that is called "narcissistic mirroring." This means that they take on the characteristics of the other person to try to feel closer to them.
Neuroscientists believe this "mirroring" is the neural mechanism by which the actions, intentions and emotions of other people can be automatically understood. Individuals with autism can't rely on this system to read the minds of other people.
Mirroring is an insidious form of manipulation used by narcissists, abusers, and dividers alike. It allows toxic partners to slip between the cracks and infiltrate our lives in deeply emotional ways. They idealize themselves (and us) by showing us only what we want to see — and then the trap is set.
Examples of Mirroring. Posture - When having a conversation, you may find you're mimicking the other person's movements and posture. For example, if they cross their legs, you do too. Tone of voice - If the person we're interacting with is talking in a slow, calm manner, we tend to adopt that tone as well.
Narcissists do enjoy looking at themselves in the mirror. They may spend more time grooming themselves to bolster their grandiose self-images. In this way, narcissists may be more prone to self-objectify—and identify with and to base their self-worth on their external appearance, instead of their character.
If you suspect someone of narcissistic mirroring, the best advice is to disengage with that person immediately. If this is not possible, strong boundaries are required.
He'll Mirror Your Body Language
Mirroring is a way of imitating another person's body language. People mirror when they find the other person interesting, want to build rapport, or if they're attracted to them.
When a narcissist is exposed or when the narcissist knows you have figured him out, they will never admit the truth even if it is staring them in the face. A narcissist will lay several false accusations and try to make him right. They will say things you didn't utter and misinterpret all your intentions.