This is the dark-application counterpart to Push-Pull Teasing: the same push-pull mechanic used playfully to build attraction can be weaponized deliberately to destabilize a target's sense of security and make their self-worth contingent on the manipulator's approval. The distinguishing signal isn't the presence of push-pull itself but its function — is it building light tension toward connection, or conditioning dependency toward control?
See also Emotional Mirroring as Manufactured Compatibility for the phase that precedes this one, and Protective vs. Controlling Behavior (Partner-Selection Contingent) for the version of this dynamic that shows up as "caring" behavior that quietly restricts the target.
Existing Push-Pull Teasing content, if framed purely as an attraction/flirting technique, should be read alongside this: the same mechanic has a documented coercive-control application, not just a playful one — inconsistency intentionally used to condition dependency rather than to build harmless tension.
Из тем: Relationship Dynamics: Boundaries, Attachment & Emotional Bonds