When I first heard the song by Usher, OMG, I admit I really liked the music. It was definitely a great song to get you moving. But when I listened to the lyrical content, I began to get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, “let me break you down… so many ways to love you…” Long after I first heard the song, I still heard the lyrics while going about my day. The character in the song was interested in getting a woman to drop her defenses so that she would sleep with him. The song isn’t about “loving” her, but having sex with her in “so many ways” that she would be exclaiming, “Oh my God!” in the bedroom. Once the man causes the woman to orgasm, his game is finished. The unsuspecting woman would not only be physically broken down, if she lets him break her down, but mentally as well. It might be safe to assume that in reality, some men are advised by their elders, mentors and/or the entertainment industry, “Get inside a woman’s head and you will get in her bed.” It’s apparent that with the singer’s smooth sexy vocals, he would most likely accomplish his goal successfully.
If you are a woman with any dating experience, then you know there are games men play. Whether the games are considered good or evil, depending on who you talk to, there is always someone willing to play them with unsuspecting individuals. So many women and men say they don’t play any head games when dating, but the truth is the day we dressed our faces and bodies up better than normal, articulated our thoughts in a way to win our dates over, and most of all interacted with them the best we knew how, the games began. Of course you want to make a good impression, but how far would you go to make a lasting one?
Some women are careful about what they say and do during a date so as not to turn him off and they also do things that they wouldn’t ordinarily do to impress a man. Those who know better would observe the seductive woman and her player for a date and say, “You both are running game on one another.” So who do you think would make the first move that would lead the two in the bedroom?
What might a man do to psychologically break a woman down so that arms, heart and legs are spread wide open? Well in order to know whether you (or that friend of yours) is a pawn in a player’s game, you have to understand it first.
One of the first things any man is going to do to impress the apple of his eye is start off being a gentleman. For example, he might open and close doors, spend a lot of money on the first date, and ask you if you need anything to ensure that you are comfortable being in his presence.
The next thing he may have done already in his mind is create memorable events that will keep you wanting to be in his presence. So he is going to create an atmosphere that keeps you entertained. He knows that some women can become easily bored and/or annoyed, so he’s going to ensure that everything he has planned for the date is in working order from his car to the waiter.
To make you feel good about being around him, he may also give you a small gift, something like: a rose, a gift card, CD, DVD, or book to show his appreciation and let you know he was listening to you when you two spoke over the phone. This small action will assist him in lowering your defenses of course.
He might turn up intimate moments with you by sharing flattering comments he may have thought of in advance or told others about you. Sometimes he may just say whatever he feels while hoping you will say something nice back. This is a test to see how willing you are to sleep with him later. A true gentleman isn’t focused on the sex and may even put if off for as long as you like.
When dates between you and he begin to increase and he is really showing an interest in you, he may ask to meet your relatives. This is just so that he makes you feel like he is serious, learn a bit more about you, and hopefully use your family to play a small part in encouraging you to keep him around. However, a player doesn’t care about meeting the relatives especially if you have a few clairvoyants around.
One way he makes you trust him is by providing you with details about his past. In your mind, you will reason that he is open and honest because he shared a few details about his life. (That is nothing to get excited about.) A man feels the more you trust him, the more likely you will want to do other things for him besides give up sex--more on this point later.
The compliments keep coming as days, turn into weeks of being together, but eventually they will slow. He will keep showering them in abundance if he has yet to experience sex with you. He may also keep with them if you are the best in bed he has had in a long time. But what goes up, will come down.
Now once he has you right where he wants you with your nose wide open, ready to defend him if anyone should say otherwise, he will then feel comfortable enough to walk away from the relationship, because he has already “broke you down.” But for some men, time is as valuable as money, so he just might stick around. Remember, the point about the more a man feels you trust him, the more likely you will want to do other things for him? Well those points are as follows when he wants to keep you around for awhile.
He may feel comfortable enough with you to ask you for money and help him with domestic tasks like cooking and cleaning. Did you think that you would always come to his place, ride in his car or take from him and not do other things besides have sex?
In time, he will tell you what he thinks about your appearance. This might be just before, during or after a disagreement. If you point out one of his flaws, like a child being teased, he will say something back negative. It may not be right at that moment, but one day he will.
Your date may start to criticize your actions or inactions when it comes to addressing his needs. “You said that you would be over at 8 p.m., but you are always late…I don’t like my food this way, I prefer it that way, I thought I told you that already. You don’t cook? I like a woman who can cook her man a meal.”
He may offer his thoughts about your family, hobbies, employment and other things in an unflattering way. Sometimes his bold comments might be hurtful, but you excuse them and reason, he is just being truthful.
Your date might share his dreams with you, and ask you to be a part of them. Meanwhile, you are putting yours off. On the surface, it seems nice helping someone accomplish their dreams, but what if his sole reason for doing so much for you in the past is to set you up for what he always wanted? You will one day ask yourself, when will you both work toward your dreams?
This man may act disinterested about your personal beliefs, but very interested in your friendships with the opposite sex, so much in fact that he doesn’t want you to have them. If this should happen, you might have broken him down in some ways to the point that now he is controlling. He may have went along with some of your suggestions and granted your favors over the course of the relationship, so now he feels like he has a say so on who you can and can’t talk to. For some women, they don’t recognize when they are being controlled, because most likely one of their parents or both were controlling, so it all seems comfortable to them.
Now the once gentleman turned control freak has exhausted himself with you, he might find someone else or he may stick around if he sees that you are willing to go along with his program. Test him, find out if there is any room for you to feel comfortable being who you are in the relationship. When you notice that your suggestions or concerns are gradually being put off more and more and you excuse him for it, you may realize that he has broken you down like the woman in the Usher song. He has given you a false sense of love in so many ways. Maybe in the beginning of the dating relationship you were a challenge, but not after he has had sex with you, got you to perform household chores, assisted him with his finances, errand running and other similar things.
He might keep you around a little longer, because he sees how he can benefit from you or he might not. It all depends on the man. If he is sincerely in love with you, he will hear your protests and change his sneaky ways, but if he is not, he will only get worse.
Some men will become abusive when they are confronted about their erratic moods, selfish actions and more. They will hit, choke or grab their partners which further breaks them down mentally and physically. A depressed partner might stay in the relationship out of obligation and fear all the while thinking she could do better, but she wants to stay and help him. The abuser will apologize, then repeat the cycle days, months even years later. Their partners may cry, “I thought you wouldn’t do that again!” But they do! Cheating and name-calling is also abusive. Daily curses, lying and covering up questionable events – all break down people. An abused woman will defend her abuser. Some of these abusive men have drug habits. A woman who may have once objected to using drugs, may go along just to get along. Now she is not only mentally broken down, but also susceptible to becoming a drug abuser.
So there are many ways to hurt not love a woman and if she isn’t too careful she may be broken down to the point that one day she won’t be able to get back on her feet.
By Nicholl McGuire
