# Is there a scientific term for this?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-term-for-this/635954>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [September 27, 2012, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-term-for-this/635954 "2012-09-27T01:43:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-term-for-this/635954/1 "2012-09-27T01:43:08Z")

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I, in my cramped part of the world, always manage to meet at least two of each distinct person. Lemme explain. People always leave an impression with me even as a kid: pals, bullies, class whizzes, crushes. As early in my life as college, I managed to meet someone who’s not just a dead ringer to someone I knew but acts exactly the same way, so much so that he/she tends to play the same ‘role’ as before.

At work or off-work, I’ve hooked up with I think at least three women who were exact replicas of college hotties I never got to talk to (or found the nerve.)

And then there’re the office characters. Too many to enumerate. I watched myself grow old in my office (I’m 49 now.) The work force has done more than one complete overhaul in my time and I keep meeting the “same” people. There was even one girl I talked to, I told her “you couldn’t have been that same one I met back then, it means you haven’t aged 15 years.” She kinda liked that.

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**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-term-for-this/635954/2 "2012-09-27T02:51:12Z")

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If there is, it would be part of the science of Psychology, since it’s clearly your brain “typecasting” these people.  
[Psychological projection](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_projection) is the best I can think of, but I’m sure there’s a more precise term.

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**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-scientific-term-for-this/635954/3 "2012-09-27T03:15:54Z")

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Okay, this is a little bit more precise, IMO:  
[Projective Identification](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Projective_identification)

or maybe:  
[Transference](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transference)