'Picking up' compulsions from others?

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When I was diagnosed with autism, I was also diagnosed with OCD (although I do not feel like that diagnosis fits me 100%). Nevertheless, I do have compulsive behaviors and intrusive and obsessive thoughts. However, I also have the tendency to "pick up" compulsions from those around me, or from books/tv/movies. Sometimes these "picked up" compulsions are relatively short lasting (I picked up the habit of pressing my hands to my thighs from the character Jerry in the show Boston Legal, and it lasted a couple months then faded, though it did recur for a few months a year or so later) or long lasting (I picked up the habit of circling my thumb around my fingertips or tapping the pad of my thumb with each fingernail in succession from a character in a book, and have done it dozens of times daily for the past fiveish years). Is this an OCD thing, or is it something else?

I do these things. I have OCD, and autistic traits. But I don't think it's an OCD thing. I think it's more in the realms of just "learning" from other people and things you see, read, or hear.

I could be wrong; someone else may have a differing opinion.

My family calls this emulation. It is how I cope with reality. I "emulate" my alpha siblings as well as specific other targets not strictly intended in every case. Yes, I have a total of 3 alpha dog siblings. 1 female 2 male. Disjointed first marriage. Fun childhood.

In casual conversation for the first few minutes I can generally fool people into illusions of normalcy and this alone has profited me more than probably any other skill I have ever learned which is ironic since it isn't a consciously learned skill usually. Albeit consciously exercised. IDK why but this makes me want to laugh. People are such messes.

I detest awakenings to some of these instances of emulation however I also recognize the necessity of their existence to my survival on a whole. I do think this is what we are all, (intended?) to be doing only not so aware. And perhaps we are meant to have more control over it when we ARE aware. I, like you, do not seem to have much control over when it occurs.

Anyhow I most definitively do not have acute OCD, (although to be fair I am not a psychologist;) I am capable of dropping futile topics, recognizing, (after some lengths,) the dis-interest of conversational tones, ignoring messes, (I think I am actually quite talented in this area,) of creating messes and ignoring them, of leaving the door knob unturned, the lights on, the lights off, the tv in whatever state whatever zombie last approached it left it in, (although I may seek solace from it's noise at times, the actual aggravation of it's existence in a so called "aggregate" state does not bother me, if that makes sense?)

My point is just that I agree with QuiversWhiskers.

I believe this is simply a trait in humanity not easily labeled or quantified to which we may or may not attach a negative reference. However it may be plausible that the attachment of a negative reference is little more than the childishness' often associated within the context of sameness to our peers. In the context of American culture, (my own,) we might view it as a panic worthy event given it's clear indications of a lack of developed individualism.