Acquisitive mimesis describes the transfer of desires from one person to another. In triangular, or mimetic desire, a mediator exists between the person desiring and the object being desired. These mediator models how to desire and thus passes on the desire.
Depending on how far removed the mediator is from the subject, the desire can be acquired simply through mediation, or it can lead to mimetic rivalry, where the two persons each model and acquire desire from the other.
The transfer of desires is not a conscious or deliberate decision – rather, it can happen spontaneously. For this reason, acquisitive mimesis is considered contagious.