Copycat

The term copycat (also written as copy-cat or copy cat) refers to the tendency of humans to duplicate the behavior of others, as expressed in the saying, "monkey see, monkey do."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This notably happens in the case of "copycat crimes", where a notorious or unusual crime inspires a wave of similar activity; this can happen with crimes ranging from shoplifting of particular items and graffiti, up to copycat suicides and murders. The term is used both for the act and for the person. It is often used in the derogatory sense, meaning a plagiarist. The "copycat effect" refers to the tendency of sensational publicity about a violent murder or suicide to cause more of the same.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The expression may have originated from observing the habits of kittens that learned by imitating the behaviors of their mother. Copycat has been in recorded use since at least 1896, in Sarah Orne Jewett's "The Country of Pointed Firs" but the expression could be many decades older.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Copycat is also the name of a 1990s thriller starring Sigourney Weaver about a serial murderer in San Franscico whose MO is to copy the killings of high profile killers.
• CopyCat is also an alternative "full name" for CC (cat), a cloned cat created in 2001.
• Copycat is also a computer model of analogy-making, developed by Douglas Hofstadter and Melanie Mitchell.
• The Copycats are a villainous musical band of anthropomorphic cats in the cartoon Kidd Video.
• Copycat is also the name of a character of the Marvel Universe. A mutant, whose ability was to duplicate the form of any person nearby. Copycat was later killed by Sabretooth.
Copycat: See also ►



 

Behavior: Behavior (or behaviour) refers to the actions or reactions of an object or organism, usually in relation to the environment. Behavior can be conscious or unconscious, overt or covert, and voluntary or involuntary. Behavior is controlled by the endocrine system, and the nervous system. The complexity...

Monkey: A monkey is any member of two of the three groupings of simian primates. These two groupings are the New World and Old World monkeys of which together there are nearly 200 species. Because of their similarity to monkeys, apes such as chimpanzees and gibbons are sometimes incorrectly called monkeys. ...

Shoplifting: Shoplifting is theft of merchandise for sale in a shop, store, or other retail establishment, usually by a would-be patron or customer. It is one of the most common crimes that police and the courts deal with....




Copycat related Images and Photos (experimental)

Copycat	Copycat	Copycat (BD)	Copycat (DVD)
Copy Cat	SEVEN / COPYCAT / TAKING LIVES