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- Embed this noticeThere are various terms for this.
One is "Zelig syndrome" after the protagonist of the eponymous Woody Allen movie from 1983
Another is "Environmental dependency syndrome" which I personally find as improper as the term "masking" as both insinuate intention and propensity of deceit.
A third one is "Chameleon syndrome" which I find best as it conveys the unintentional and semi-automatic dynamic of that "behaviour".
Personally I find it difficult to distinguish this mimicking from empathy. Or put differently: When one comes to accept this mimicking as a talent, one can, via introspection, achieve a deep insight into other people's state of psychê, which can be helpful in all sorts of councelling, therapeutic help, and conflict resolution.