Manipulative woman explains, ‘How I would take advantage of men’

“If I used my powers for evil instead of good, I would take advantage of every single man. It would be easy, and this is exactly what I would do.”

That’s how Elise Michaels begins her “dark psychology” Instagram reel entitled, How I would take advantage of men. She proceeds to explain how she can manipulate men to get what she wants. 

Here’s the process, according to Elise:

1. Identify the core of his vulnerability — spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally
2. Take note of his traumatic moments and meaningful moments
3. Create a relatable story so he would feel connected to her
4. Make him a hero in her life so he is more chemically attached to her
5. Find his insecurities and love bomb him
6. Nitpick “ever so slightly” at what makes him proud of himself
7. Do things for him that his mother didn’t do
8. Drop the bomb — find a small thing he’s done wrong, pick a fight, make him feel guilty
9. Drop the ask — he’ll do what she says in order to redeem himself
10. Return to hero scenario — make him feel like he saved the situation
11. With this, she has secured the addiction cycle

Elise Michaels is explaining a step-by-step outline of sociopathic seduction. Her words are frightening — and absolutely accurate. Let’s take a closer look at some of the steps.

Identifying vulnerabilities

The key is identifying the target’s vulnerabilities. All sociopaths do this. They figure out what your vulnerabilities are and use them to seduce you. How do they do this? They ask you, and you tell them — although you don’t realize what you’re doing.

This starts in the very beginning of your involvement. The sociopath asks questions and listens carefully to your answers. You believe that you’re getting to know each other. You willingly share your hopes and dreams. You reveal the deepest desires of your heart — and that’s where the sociopath sets his or her hook.

Relatable story

Once she understands her target’s vulnerabilities, Elise Michaels says she creates a “relatable story.” 

This is similar to the “sudden soul mate” concept that I talk about in my book, Red Flags of Love Fraud — 10 signs you’re dating a sociopath. It seems like the two of you have the same desires and the same sorrows. In fact, you have so much in common that finding each other could only be destiny!

Actually, the truth is that the sociopath figured out what you’re looking for and became that person. You think you’ve met your soul mate, when he or she is only a fake reflection of yourself.

Chemical attachment

All romantic relationships — even normal ones — involve chemical attachment. Two key chemicals are oxytocin and dopamine.

Oxytocin is a hormone and neurotransmitter that is released naturally in our brains and bodies when we experience intimacy. Any kind of intimacy will do — physical touch, conversation and certainly sex. Oxytocin causes us to feel calm and content, and it makes us trust the person with whom we experienced intimacy. That’s why it’s called the cuddle chemical.

Dopamine has multiple functions. Regarding romantic relationships, it is related to pleasurable reward and motivation. According to the Cleveland Clinic, “Dopamine is known as the ‘feel-good’ hormone. It gives you a sense of pleasure. It also gives you the motivation to do something when you’re feeling pleasure.”

Dopamine is associated with addiction. It doesn’t actually cause addiction, but you can become addicted to an activity that spurs the release of dopamine in the brain. Therefore, when the sociopath is showering you with attention and affection, it causes your dopamine to spike. That’s how you get addicted to the relationship.

Psychological love bond

All relationships are based on psychological bonds that you feel with your partner. The bond is established in the beginning through pleasure. 

While you’re enthralled with your relationship, the sociopath does something to make you feel bad. Elise Michaels describes nit picking. Your partner could also ghost you, blow you off or lash out in anger. You worry about losing your magical relationship. This upsets the bond and causes fear and anxiety.

Here’s the kicker: Fear and anxiety actually strengthen the psychological love bond.

You want the relationship to go back to how wonderful it was in the beginning. So you ask the sociopath if you can talk. You try to figure out what went wrong. You may even apologize for something you didn’t do.

You get back together with the sociopath, which brings you relief — and strengthens the psychological love bond again.

This becomes a pattern: Pleasure, followed by fear and anxiety, followed by relief, rinse and repeat. It’s a vicious circle, and with each turn of the wheel, the psychological love bond gets tighter and tighter.

Here’s the next kicker: Even if you no longer feel pleasure, the psychological bond is still in place.

In other words, even when you know the involvement is bad for you, you can’t leave. You are addicted.

Formulas that work

Sociopaths pursue romantic relationships not for love, but for exploitation. This is exactly what Elise Michaels is explaining, as she acknowledges at the end of her video — how she would take advantage of men.

“If someone is emotionally unattached, if they are just in it for their own gain, they use formulas that work,” she says. “They look at behavior patterns and just go with the formula to get what they want.”

There you have it — sociopathic seduction.

By the way, did you notice this woman’s eyes? They’re black and empty, like a shark. If you ever encounter anyone with eyes like these, beware.

Learn more: Sociopathic seduction — how you got hooked and why you stayed