Information AboutCopycat |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT COPYCAT | |
| popular psychology | |
| SHOPPER'S DELIGHT | |
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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 Suicide s and Murder s. 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 Kitten s 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.
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