Someone I work with is a psycho
She copies people. She buys the same clothes as one of the secretaries, she bought the same perfume and makeup set as one of the solicitors. I'm a little insulted she doesn't copy my awesome fashion sense.

But what she does copy is MY PERSONALITY. She repeats things that I've said to her as though they're her own thoughts. Recently I said I hated Baby on Board signs in cars because it's not like I was going to ram the car, but now I've spotted the sign I'll drive safely. She just repeated this back to me word for word, as though it's her own opinion.

THIS IS WEIRD. The only solution I can think of is to start spouting really extremist views to her and see if she adopts them.

Any psychopaths in your workplace? Any tips for dealing with the Office Psycho?
( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 10:51, 43 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

Stop talking about me

(PsychoChomp, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 10:53, Reply)

so you are a girl!

( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 10:53, Reply)

No, I can tell you what I think of the situation if you want,
you'll call me dull though.
(PsychoChomp, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 10:54, Reply)

is it to ignore her and get on with my worK?

( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 10:55, Reply)

Yeah pretty much
that and she isn't necesarily a psycho, just either insecure or forgettful or a bit dim. She's probably harmless and the fact she spouts your opinions back at you could possibly be taken as a compliment.
(PsychoChomp, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 10:56, Reply)

yeah but it's pretty annoying.
I wonder what her real personality is like, it seems thusfar to be made up of pieces of other people's.

I know it means she's probably insecure and is looking for acceptance, but it's having the opposite effect. She is pretty harmless, just really annoying. She watches people, which is weird. If she's using the fax machine in my room she'll just stand at it and stare at whatever I'm doing, it's really disconcerting.

I'm insulted she doesn't copy my dress sense.
( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 10:58, Reply)

Maybe she fancies you

(PsychoChomp, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 10:59, Reply)

I am pretty awesome.

( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:01, Reply)

You're going to spend the rest of the day leading her on now.

(PsychoChomp, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:02, Reply)

She's always asking for help with Excel
I might go and lean over her and talk in a breathy voice next time.
( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:04, Reply)

it's all fun and games
until the sexual harassment kicks in. Next thing you know you'll be hiding behind your desk as she stalks you
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:06, Reply)

she gave me a lift home once
she knows where I live!!
( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:13, Reply)

She's going to come knocking on your door one night
A lustful, glazed over look in her eye, strap-on at the ready.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:15, Reply)

this is terrifying

( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:20, Reply)

just wait till you see
what she has in her bag
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:41, Reply)

a Kitty O'Hara mask?

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:43, Reply)

Nice touch!

( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:43, Reply)

no
she gets that after the night of fun.
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:47, Reply)

nice to know our minds work in the same quite horrifying way
because that was my first thought.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:53, Reply)

my first thought
as well :(
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:55, Reply)

tell her you've moved

( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:17, Reply)

she does seem a bit dim so she'd probably believe me.

( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:20, Reply)

Stab her

( fuck shit up the best you never had, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 10:55, Reply)

I do work with defence solicitors
so I'm in the best place.
( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 10:56, Reply)

I say do it.
STAB HER WITH PENCIL SHARPENERS
( fuck shit up the best you never had, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:00, Reply)

I've always wanted to see if it was possible to laminate someone's hand

( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:01, Reply)

I tried. It's not.
You CAN laminate popcorn however.
( fuck shit up the best you never had, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:04, Reply)

Does it flatten it?
I think I remember reading about someone laminating bacon once.
( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:13, Reply)

Yeah, not fully though, it's still got a bit of a spring in its step

( fuck shit up the best you never had, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:14, Reply)

We have a secretary like that
You tell her a story and two days later she says "Somebody I know was in a car accident the other day..." as though it was her friend, forgetting that it was YOU who told her the story about YOUR friend.
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 10:55, Reply)

haha what a pleb
I think this girl knows it's me who's said it to her, in the hope that I'll go "Oh my god, we think exactly alike, let's be best friends!"
( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 10:56, Reply)

eek
Those types can turn nasty. Mind yerself there.
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:08, Reply)

you think she'll go all single white female on me?
Oh noes, she'll stab Wiggy in the forehead with a shoe!!
( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:14, Reply)

Totally!
And hang your rodent up using fairylights. No wait, that was in Gremlins.
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:15, Reply)

haha my rats would look awesome with a little rambo bandanna on
Wiggy whistles the Mogwai theme to them frequently, I think they hate him.
( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:21, Reply)

Oh man I have a Gizmo
and I love animating him and singing the Mogwai tune behind him so it looks like he's singing it.
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:22, Reply)

I remember someone at primary school had a gremlin that turned inside out into an evil gremlin
it was awesome, I was so jealous.
( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:31, Reply)

I am retrospectively jealous right now

( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:36, Reply)

I had one of those. Boglins for the win

( fuck shit up the best you never had, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:38, Reply)

i have this thing that was like a cuddlier Boglin (not a Boglin TM)
It was called a Grumple.
When you squueze his head (he is just a head) he blows a raspberry.
He is called Grib. He is in my FB pics being held by a 13-year-old me.
( Roota zweeeeeoooooowm, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:45, Reply)

I don't work with him
But he's a 'mate' of mine. I can put up with him for roughly 1 hour per month.

Every single un-PC joke I've ever told has then been passed on by him. A while back a few of us were trying to out sick-joke each other, and someone came over and said "You know so-and-so? He'd be great in this, you're just stealing his jokes!"

Calmly explained to them that he's been copying my jokes (with several people backing me up), and the stupid bint finally accepted it, before going back to him and irritating him by saying after every joke "You stole that from *insert name here*"
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 11:53, Reply)

Baby On Board signs originated (I think) in Germany
and were only displayed when there actually was a baby in the car. Their purpose was to alert the emergency services to the baby's presence in the event of an accident, as they could potentially be missed during a search, with 'em being little an' that.
Not the main point of your post, I know, but it does suggest a tactic you could use. Set her up by casually saying you disaprove of something that you strongly support. Then, when she regurgitates it a few days later, rip into her with a prepared argument countering the original viewpoint.
(Cave Duck, Mon 14 Jun 2010, 12:01, Reply)

One of my friends actually does this.
I'll tell him something and a few hours / days later he'll return and tell me it in a voice of superiority.
(mr-lizard Hell's teeth man!, Wed 16 Jun 2010, 5:26, Reply)