"The Siren": A Powerful Seductive Figure Of Male Fantasy

" A man is often secretly oppressed by the role he has to play, always having to be responsible, in control, and rational. The Siren is the ultimate make fantasy figure because she offers a total release from the limitations of his life. In her presence, which is always heightened and sexually charged, the male feels transported to a world of pure pleasure. She is dangerous, and in pursuing her energetically the man can lose control over himself, something he yearns to do. The Siren is a mirage; she lures men by cultivating a particular appearance and manner. In a world where women are often too timid to project such an image, learn to take control of the male libido by embodying his fantasy." By Robert Greene from The Art Of Seduction

In the works by the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung, the image that a man projects onto a woman is called 'the anima' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anima_(Jung) , this is considered to be the feminine part of the male psyche, repressed by society, which is projected onto a female who can best 'carry' this anima image. The same principle applies to women but the repressed part of the psyche that provides material for the projected image is called 'animus'.

Now, how does this apply to seduction? Quite simply, by understanding what the deepest desires and fantasies of a man or woman, you can purposely embody those images thereby creating a powerful attraction which leads to the seduction(social or sexual - or both).

One way of embodying a man's fantasies is to be theatrical. Not in a tacky way by elegantly but with a shocking visual intensity. Cleopatra, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra_VII_of_Egypt ,
provided endless distractions to her lovers (two successive rulers of Rome), with expeditions, plays, orgies, a complete break from the 'the normal' so the man was completely captivated with her. He worshipped her.

The other aspect of embodying a man's fantasies is shown by Marylyn Monroe's, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Monroe , images who oozes a sexual innocence. I.e. she seems sexual but naive about it. This creates the need in a man to take care of her, never realizing that it is her in charge.

In Marilyn's case she probably felt abandoned from childhood and when she discovered her developing breasts were pulling in attention from boys, an attention she craved, she spent years honing her look. Later when she tried to land more serious roles she found it extremely difficult as her need to be liked created a vulnerability she could not control. This vulnerability is what caused men to fall in love with her, so was a source of her power.

Both Cleopatra and Marylyn Monroe captured a man's imagination and allowed him to lose control. They also embodied an aspect of danger which the male mind finds very seductive as he craves adventure, action and 'newness'. A woman who is dating a man and then relaxes. I.e. doesn't entertain her man, doesn't wear makeup and act seductive etc, WILL lose his attention. Not because he has ceased to care for her but because the stimulation that turns him on isn't there. How often have powerful men suddenly fallen by succumbing to a dangerous liaison? (think Bill Clinton).

Basically, culture and society imposes a role on every one of its members. There are roles specifically for men and women as well as different segments of society. A person fulfills these roles by suppressing those aspects of the psyche that are not socially acceptable. Over time these aspects of the psyche gain power and become, what Carl Jung called, the shadow. This means a non introspective person, who is not into personal development, can get sidelined by repressed desire from his or her shadow that bring them down in the prime of their life/career, or just cause a lot of problems.