Non-PG13 (Strong Language): Can your personality be another person?

[Brandon]

I've been dating my girlfriend for just a week now, and we've told each other our past and that we're open about it. I've learned that my ex girlfriend got out of a two year relationship just a couple months ago and claims that she's completely over him because I treat her much better than he did. I'm not concerned about whether she's over him, I'm concerned about why she loves me.

She says that she loves me in general, that I'm perfect because of my looks and personality, but I can't help but wonder if her ex-boyfriend ties into our relationship. We met on a dating service and therefore neither of us are perfect, and I've tried asking her about whether she's truly in love with me but she doesn't quite understand what I'm trying to say. Allow me to explain:

You know how people lust and love? Those are two entirely different concepts. One person may say that you "love" someone, but some other person may say "you don't love him, you lust him." If my girlfriend got out of long-term relationship, a boyfriend who didn't treat her right and didn't really care about her, do you think that she could lust over my personality rather than myself. In other words, do you think that falling in love with someone's personality can be considered falling in love with someone else? Like, instead of her falling in love with me, she falls in love with my personality? Or...considers my personality to be a rebound? I'm probably just over-exaggerating. We keep telling each other that we hope to last long, that we're afraid of losing each other, but my defense mechanisms are going ballistic right now saying "dude...WAKE THE FUCK UP! STOP FALLING FOR THIS WOMAN! SHE IS GONNA HURT YOU, MAN!" I don't fucking know anymore.

[Aletheia*]

I think it's possible that she is "lusting" over your personality. You treated her well, and this is ultimately what every girl wants her man to be like. Since her ex-boyfriend wasn't exactly ideal in that concept, she is using you as a reference as to what she likes, and what she doesn't like. She's using you to compare to what she wants in future boyfriends.

It could be possible that she still loves you, but I believe what I said above is the actual truth.

[Gaia]

I've always though love to be falling in love with a person's personality.
It is possible she is putting you on a pedestal because you do treat her much better than her past boyfriend, and I don't agree with that. I think it takes longer than a week to fall in love, but I do believe that this has the potential to be true love. I also think it's entirely possible that she is overwhelmed with happiness to have found a guy who treats her so well, that she mistakes this happiness for love.
I wouldn't fret about it too much, she may be reading too much into her feelings just now, but that doesn't mean she can't feel them honestly in the future.